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It contains a lot of toxic stuff -- left over fuel, oil, and especially rotting food. It's also sitting on top of an environmentally sensitive area. So cuttin

by chiph 13y ago

It contains a lot of toxic stuff -- left over fuel, oil, and especially rotting food. It's also sitting on top of an environmentally sensitive area. So cutting it up in place is not a good option. In a way, this ship is Italy's Exxon Valdez¹. Irresponsible ship's captain crashes into a reef... ¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxon_Valdez

kbenson 13y ago
Okay, I'm curious, why is rotting food is toxic? Edit: Okay, so it's a cruise ship, and I can see that amount of rotting (or otherwise) food possibly causing problems on a reef. I was thinking it was the cargo ship that capsized that was referenced in the wired article linked in another comment, which I had read about before. Still interested in specifics of what rotting food may do to an environment if anyone knows though.
- pavel_lishin 13y ago
  I figured it would just bring a whole lot of crabs, lobsters, and fishy bottom-feeders who would make short work of it, get fat, and breed a little more than usual.
  - chiph 13y ago
    Aside from possible toxicity to the animals (like how onions are toxic to cats), I think the enormous quantity is a big problem. The crabs, etc. just couldn't eat enough of it, fast enough, to prevent the sea becoming nasty. I suspect also that the rotting food would consume oxygen in the area, and that would kill some sea life.
- JonnieCache 13y ago
  Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication Ecosystems in general are chaotic and extremely sensitive, and aquatic ones more so afaik.
- aaron695 13y ago
  I'd say at some stage someone has made the quote and all the news stations ran with it, never fact checking. Most of the people watching can't get complex ideas, but everyone knows rotting food is smelly so it's a story that sells. And you can't have a smelly beach, it's not like there are starving people in the world. I can't see it much different to a whale beaching. Back of the envelope - 4000 eat ~ 1kg per day times 10 days So approx 40 tonnes of food is in the ship. You'd have to imagine you'd easily recover 80% and remove it.

by chiph 13y ago

kbenson 13y ago

Okay, I'm curious, why is rotting food is toxic? Edit: Okay, so it's a cruise ship, and I can see that amount of rotting (or otherwise) food possibly causing problems on a reef. I was thinking it was the cargo ship that capsized that was referenced in the wired article linked in another comment, which I had read about before. Still interested in specifics of what rotting food may do to an environment if anyone knows though.

pavel_lishin 13y ago
I figured it would just bring a whole lot of crabs, lobsters, and fishy bottom-feeders who would make short work of it, get fat, and breed a little more than usual.
- chiph 13y ago
  Aside from possible toxicity to the animals (like how onions are toxic to cats), I think the enormous quantity is a big problem. The crabs, etc. just couldn't eat enough of it, fast enough, to prevent the sea becoming nasty. I suspect also that the rotting food would consume oxygen in the area, and that would kill some sea life.
JonnieCache 13y ago
Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication Ecosystems in general are chaotic and extremely sensitive, and aquatic ones more so afaik.
aaron695 13y ago
I'd say at some stage someone has made the quote and all the news stations ran with it, never fact checking. Most of the people watching can't get complex ideas, but everyone knows rotting food is smelly so it's a story that sells. And you can't have a smelly beach, it's not like there are starving people in the world. I can't see it much different to a whale beaching. Back of the envelope - 4000 eat ~ 1kg per day times 10 days So approx 40 tonnes of food is in the ship. You'd have to imagine you'd easily recover 80% and remove it.