By Nneka Nwogwugwu
South Africa plans to dump unstable chemicals at sea after they reacted with rainwater during offloading from the NS Qingdao bulk carrier in Durban in October and started releasing toxic fumes.
The country’s maritime safety authority has until March to dump the cargo of fertilizers and industrial reagents into the open ocean 250 kilometers (155 miles) offshore of the fishing town of St. Helena Bay, a two-hour drive north of Cape Town.
The emergency authorization for the operation is predicated on it being the most “environmentally, socially and economically” suitable option, but scientists say the dump site overlaps with an area of critical biodiversity within the Benguela Current ecosystem.
South African authorities said they will investigate what triggered the incident aboard the NS Qingdao, which flies the Marshall Islands flag but has registered owners in Hong Kong.
On Oct. 23, 2021, the bulk carrier NS Qingdao, carrying 1,500 metric tons of fertilizers and industrial reagents, docked in South Africa’s Indian Ocean port of Durban.
During offloading, rainwater entered the cargo hold and set off a chemical reaction, releasing toxic fumes. After three months of uncertainty about the reactive cargo’s fate, South African authorities plan to dump it into the open ocean.
“Why is the ocean being used for toxic waste dumping when we should be protecting our oceans?” said Liziwe McDaid, from South African NGO The Green Connection.
Despite referring to the fumes as “toxic,” the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has downplayed its potential to harm people and the environment.
Exposure to high concentrations of sulfur dioxide can be dangerous or even deadly to humans.
A copy of the emergency authorization for the dumping, seen by Mongabay, also raises questions about whether sea dumping is the most “environmentally, socially and economically” suitable option in accordance with South African laws.
Glenn C. Miller at the University of Nevada, who specializes in environmental chemistry, reviewed the list of chemicals and said that while they’re “not particularly toxic in low to moderate doses, they can be problematic if the concentrations are very high.
“The impacts will be related to the amount of each chemical released and the rate that the chemicals move away from the release point,” he said, highlighting the need for more information.
Whether the chemicals affect marine life also depends on the lay of the seascape. In a closed bay, for example, it can alter the chemistry of the water.
“Releasing chemicals of this type into the ocean should generally be avoided,” Miller said.
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