A ship found to have discharged palm oil waste into the South China Sea has sparked a debate over international regulations on marine pollution, Eco-Business wrote.
Although it is legally permissible for palm oil vessels to discharge waste, critics claim flushing out tanks off the coast of Malaysia is an overlooked problem, according to the 24 July report.
Vegetable oil slicks – one of them 11km in length and another 7.9km – were seen trailing from a Singapore-flagged vessel off the east coast of Malaysia in May and June, the report said.
Identified as Theresa Asia, formerly known as Bow Asia, the ship was owned by leading Asian agribusiness Wilmar International, Eco-Business wrote.
A spokesperson for Wilmar had reportedly confirmed the vessel was responsible for the slicks, which had been caused by routine cargo tank cleaning, a practice it said was in full compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, or MARPOL.
“The cleaning of vessel cargo tanks after discharging cargo, particularly vegetable and palm oil at port, is standard industry practice to avoid tainting of contaminants prior to receiving the next cargo shipment,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Shipping regulator the International Maritime Organisation was reported as saying it was the responsibility of MARPOL to determine the legality of specific incidents according to national law.
Malaysia’s coast guard, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which is responsible for taking legal action against marine polluters, did not comment specifically on potential action it might take against the Theresa Asia for flushing palm oil waste into Malaysian waters.
Some jurisdictions have moved to ban the discharge of palm oil at sea, a practice which environmentalists claim companies use to avoid the cost of correct disposal on land. Palm oil discharging was banned in European waters in 2021.
