• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.173-180
• /
• 2009

After the UN General Assembly on 2006, Interest on the marine litter has rapidly increased internationally. The UN sub-organizations, UNEP/Regional Seas, FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and OC(Ocean Conservancy) as a one of world NGO had been tackled to collect information and prepared world reports related on marine litter, recently, those are published. Through the 10years experience of Korea's policy on marine litter since 1999, it is re-evaluated as a roll model internationally. In this paper, brief introduction of structure and function of Korea's authorities which are responsible for or are involved in the marine litter issue as well as the National Marine Litter Management Basic Plan which is established in 2008, has been provided. This paper also included the structure and roll of the marine litter initiative center in the plan. Change of the paradigm of action plan on marine litter in Korea already had been started.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.150-159
• /
• 2008

The marine litter generated as by-products of human activities and economic development enters to the sea through rivers or stream Indirectly, and through sea-based activities directly. It is commonly comprised of materials that degrade very slowly, such as various plastic products, polystyrene, glass, rubber, metal, wood, derelict fishing nets, wire, rope and so on. Such litter is found in the water column and on the seafloor as well as coastal areas In the Northwest Pacific region. It causes injury or death of human and other living organisms and also accident or damage of the vessel. It is not only a problem of country but also regional and/or global problem because it is transported by currents and winds from one country to another. In this regard, Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) Marine Litter Activity (MALITA) project had been carried out during 2006-2007 biennium and NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI) has been also continuously implemented in the 2008-2009 biennium as next phase step of MALITA. MERRAC, one of four Regional Activity Centres (RACs) of NOWPAP, has developed monitoring guidelines, sectoral guidelines, and brochures related to sea-based marine litter and port reception facilities and services through MALITA project. Based upon these output, MERRAC will continuously implement relevant activities of RAP MALI in order to help to establish and improve a regional mechanism to deal with the sea-based marine litter problem. This paper aims to introduce MERRAC activities under MALITA and RAP MALI, and to suggest several recommendations to reduce marine litter in the NOWPAP region.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.307-314
• /
• 2011

This study proposed detection method of Marine debris using unmanned aerial photography. For unmanned aerial photography, a RC(Radio Control) helicopter which has good movability and economics was used. To a camera mounting, a gimbal equipment was attached to the bottom of the RC helicopter. The gimbal equipment is very useful because it is not seriously affected by vibration and rolling. In addition, we invented that digital image processing algorithm using Matlab program for detection of marine debris from photographs. Particularly, background subtraction in invented algorithm was applied. As a result, marine debris of a variety of forms from different sand states of coast were reliably detected. In the future, monitoring using proposed method was expected to contribute that the solution to representative problem of monitoring area selecting and estimate the total litter mass over the beach. Moreover, It is considered a greater application possibility to marine environmental observations.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.220-226
• /
• 2005

This study evaluated the composition and distribution of marine litters on the sea-bed of the East China Sea. Surveys have been conducted by a benthic trawlnet of Dong-baek training ship of Yosu national university during the cruise of 2002-2004. Distribution density showed high value in C5 (north-western area of Jeju Island) with $110.3kg/km^2$ and those of annual mean were about $31-43kg/km^2$. Fishing gears such as nets, pots, octopus jars and etc. were about 42-72% of debris collected in the East China Sea. Composition ratio of rubber, vinyl. metal, plastic, glass, wood, cloth and etc. were within 25% except C5. Rope and drum showed strong fluctuations with 0-30% according to the trawling sites. Some vinyls and nets made in Korea, China and Japan were much collected. It is estimated that fishing gears were discarded to the sea by fishing operation, deliberately or not. An comprehensive program including continuous research, monitoring for marine litters in the Korean sea were necessary.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.331-337
• /
• 2022

In 2021, the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), a U.N. advisory research institute, cited container loss as one of six sources of marine litters in shipping. The sinking of the X-P ress Pearl in May 2021 caused a catastrophic environmental pollution accident in which the loaded containers were moved to the shore, and the plastic pellets were loaded inside covered the coast of Sri Lanka. With this history, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will discuss prevention and follow-up measures for container loss during ship voyages, as an agenda at the 8th Sub Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers meeting in September 2022. To establish Korea's response direction at the IMO meeting, this study identified major causes of container loss accidents, and considered the response through analysis based on the accident investigation report and related professional data. As a result, it was found that the major cause of container loss during voyages was the enlargement of container ships, bad weather, and poor loading of containers. In particular, the need to prepare countermeasures for the deterioration of the operational safety of large container ships due to bad weather was identified. Additionally, integrated monitoring of the implementation of international conventions is required, for the safe sea transportation of container cargo. In particular, in terms of preservation of the marine environment, it is necessary to supplement the system for the recovery of lost containers. Finally, it was found that it is necessary to establish systems that can complement each other in the shipbuilding and shipping industries, in terms of shipbuilding as well as ship operation, to fundamentally prevent container loss accidents at sea. It is judged that it is difficult to resolve the various factors of container loss at sea during voyages, by responding from an individual perspective.