Investigation of the effects of mucilage on maritime operation

Esma Uflaz, Emre Akyüz , Fırat Bolat, Pelin Bolat, Özcan Arslan

ORCID IDs: E.U. 0000-0003-2229-8242; E.A. 0000-0002-0071-9619; F.B. 0000-0001-9807-7089; P.B. 0000-0003-4262-3612; Ö.A. 0000-0003-4769-6941

Department of Maritime Transportation and Management Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Tuzla 34940, Istanbul, TURKEY
Department of Marine Engineering, Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Tuzla 34940, Istanbul, TURKEY
Department of Basic Science, Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Tuzla 34940, Istanbul, TURKEY

Abstract

Mucilage is one of the harmful substances for marine environment since it prevents oxygen transfer by covering the area from the sea surface and causes significant threats for marine organisms such as fish, fish larvae and eggs. In recent months, the Turkish Straits, including the Istanbul and Çanakkale Straits and the Marmara Sea, have been exposed to serious mucilage events. This paper aims to investigate mucilage effects on maritime shipboard operations by using the bow-tie method, which is one of the practical risk analysis approaches. The method is capable of understanding potential root causes and consequences of mucilage since it provides a systematic approach. Besides its theoretical concept, the paper contributes to marine environment researches and safety inspectors to minimize mucilage effects by investigating potential root causes and consequences.

Keywords: Mucilage, maritime pollution, maritime environment, bow-tie method

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