Page 60: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2, 2005)

60 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News by John W. Waterhouse, P.E., President,

Elliott Bay Design Group

As a designer of ships, and president of a vessel design company, I know the shipbuilding industry is made up of peo- ple who recognize the importance of fer- ries, cruise ships and other maritime vessels to our economy. These same people also care a great deal about the marine environment in which our ships operate.

That's why reports by environmental groups criticizing the marine industry for supposed ecological offenses leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who know the whole story. For example, a recent report on cruise ships by the

Oceans Conservancy (Hertz and Davis,

Cruise Control, May 2004) states, "Some of the pollutants generated by these giant ships daily include as much as 37,000 gallons of oily bilge water…."

What the article fails to mention is that stringent laws are in place that require such ships to first separate the oil, then process and treat the bilge water before its discharge. Anything less is a viola- tion of the law and subject to severe penalties.

Another recent report also provides a disservice to the shipbuilding industry.

A story in the Blue Water Network ("Fast Ferries: Clean Water Transit or

More Dirty Diesel?") states: "Speeding across waterways, fast ferries spew more dangerous pollutants into the air than either cars or transit buses - four to nine times more per passenger mile. "This statement assumes that all cars and transit busses are operating at peak efficiency - buzzing along a highway with a full load of passengers. Fact is, stop-and-go traffic greatly reduces fuel efficiency, and busses that are running empty or with partial loads are far from optimal. Compare this picture with a ship unencumbered by stop lights, traf- fic jams and rush hour traffic, and the story becomes quite different.

One-sided reports such as these, which are often built on half-truths or exagger- ations, serve only to fan the flames among a general public often willing to accept such statements without further investigation. The marine industry is left bruised, frustrated, and often sorely misrepresented.

Finding Middle Ground

Despite my personal and professional involvement in the maritime trade, I am not an uncritical observer of our indus- try. I treasure the marine environment and want to see my customers use the best available technologies and operat- ing practices to ensure that it is protect- ed. We can always work together to improve our care and concern for the

Earth. People who deliberately choose to ignore the regulations are criminals and should rightly be penalized.

Somewhere between apathy and anger lies a middle ground - a place where environmental supporters and marine industry leaders work together. To be guardians of the environment does not mean that we abandon modern shipping and go back to biodegradable vessels with wooden hulls and flax sails. Nor does it mean that people using the water to move goods or people in exchange for money are evil, greedy folks with hearts of stone.

Nature is about balance. Hot versus cold, wet versus dry, predator versus prey, light alternating with dark. Nature has demonstrated to the human race that balance is essential for a sustainable ecosystem. We should seek the same balance in our discussions about the

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Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering

Environmental Balance

John Waterhouse

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