Marine Pollution Threat Escalates as China’s Cargo Volumes Surge

Beijing, July 19 – Marine pollution is emerging as a critical issue for nations worldwide, and China now finds itself at the center of the problem. The country’s expanding economy has driven a sharp increase in sea‑borne cargo, while lax environmental enforcement has allowed pollution to intensify in its waters.

According to official figures, about 1.8 billion tonnes of cargo traversed Chinese maritime routes in the past year. Approximately 90 percent of imported crude oil – roughly 11 million tonnes – was shipped by sea.

The rapid growth of maritime transport, together with an inadequate legal framework, has led to a rise in oil‑spill incidents. From 1973 to 2003, more than 2,350 spills were recorded along China’s coastline, averaging one spill every 4.6 days. Several of these events caused severe environmental damage.

On April 4, the Portuguese tanker Artega, carrying around 120,000 tonnes of crude from Yemen, struck a rock near Dalian Port in Liaoning Province and became grounded. A later collision on July 2 involved a Chinese oil tanker and a 9,000‑tonne Malaysian‑registered vessel at Dalian. The Malaysian ship was en route to Guangzhou with 3,800 tonnes of diesel fuel, and the crash released oil into the sea, prompting a multi‑day response by dozens of boats and helicopters.

In December of the previous year, two container ships – one from Panama and another from Yemen – collided near the Pearl River mouth south of Hong Kong, leaking about 1,200 tonnes of oil. The emergency operation cost an estimated 120 million yuan (US$14.5 million).

Although China is a party to the International Fund Convention, which provides financial compensation for oil‑spill damages, the fund’s coverage is limited to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, leaving mainland spill victims without compensation.