Article Sidebar

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 376 Download : 262

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Main Article Content

Abstract

The shipwrecks generate different impacts mostly represented by geomorphological changes of the waterways, source of potential pollutants, impeding navigation and fishing activities. A total of 141 locations of shipwrecks were identified in the inland and marine Iraqi territorial waters. The study area is categorized into four sites including Shatt Al-Arab River, Shatt Al-Arab Estuary, Khor Abdulla and Khor Al-Zubair. The shipwrecks data analysis was investigated on spatial and temporal approach based on salvage state, type and size of sinking vessels in these sites. The shipwrecks are of different types classified according to the size into three categories. Only 43 of these shipwrecks were salvaged mostly in Khor Al-Zubair, however, no attempt has been carried out to salvage any of the shipwrecks in the most important fishing ground located within Shatt Al-Arab Estuary. On temporal basis, most of the shipwrecks are resulted due to the wars. The majority of the sunken shipwrecks are of small size indicated by 94 (67%), however many are still not identified by type and size particularly those located in the Shatt Al-Arab Estuary. The impacts of the shipwrecks were investigated following to findings of previous related studies and feedback of questionnaire circulated to specialists in relevant authorities. Moreover, the findings of relevant published data in relation to hydrological features, water quality, fishing and biodiversity aspects have considered particularly in the shared zone among Iraq, Kuwait and Iran. The paper recommended the great importance to initiate a regional survey to assess the levels and types of pollutants in this area and to take a cooperation action on removing the sunken vessels.

Keywords

Shipwrecks Iraqi Ports Shatt Al-Arab Khor Abdullah Khor Al-Zubair Fishing Iraq

Article Details

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite
M. Qasim, A. ., & S. Ali, T. . (2022). Spatiotemporal Analysis on Shipwrecks in Shatt Al-Arab River and Iraqi Marine Waters Northwest Arabian Gulf. Basrah Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 35(1), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.37077/25200860.2022.35.1.16
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX

References

  1. Albadran, B., & Albadran, A. (1993). Sedimentological characteristics of the offshore sediment of the Khor Abdullah entrance NW Arabian Gulf. Journal Water Resources, 1, 17-34.
  2. Alkandari, A. J., Ali, T. S., & Saeed, T. (2018). Assessment of organotin compounds in coastal sediments of Kuwait. Biological and Applied Environmental Research, 2, 130-145.
  3. Al-Musawi, W. M. (2020). Detection of shipwrecks and submerged objects using sub bottom profile and side scan sonar in Shatt Al-Arab River, southern Iraq. Iraqi Journal Bulletin Geology & Mining, 16, 51-62. http://ibgm-iq.org/ibgm/index.php/ibgm/article/view/403/399
  4. Al-Wahaily, U. Q. (2009). Sedimentological and geomorphological of the Shatt Al-Arab islands between Basra and Siba towns. M. Sc. Thesis, University of Basrah. 68pp (In Arabic).
  5. Anonymous (1999). Scientific design and monitoring of Mediterranean marine protected areas. CIESM works. Ser., 8, 1-64.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/1600.
  6. Arena, P. T., Jordan, L. K. B., & Spieler, R. E. (2007). Fish assemblages on sunken vessels and natural reefs in southeast Florida, USA. Hydrobiologia, 580, 157-171. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0456-x.
  7. Bianchini, M. L., & Ragonese, S. (2011). The potential importance of shipwrecks for the fisheries, the environment and the touristic fruition. Marine Research, National Research Council of Italy, Department of Earth and Environment, Vol. DTA/06-2011, 1923-1939.
  8. Ceyhun, G. C. (2014). The impact of shipping accidents on marine environment: A study of Turkish Seas. European Scientific Journal, 10, 10-23. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2014.v10n23p%25p.
  9. Consoli, P., Martino, A., Romeo, T., Sinopoli, M., Perzia, P., Canese, S., Vivona, P., & Andaloro, F. (2015). The effect of shipwrecks on associated fish assemblage in the central Mediterranean Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 95, 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315414000940.
  10. Darmoian, S. A., & Lindquist, K. (1988). Sediments in the estuarine environment of the Tigris/Euphrates delta. Iraq Geological Journal, 23, 15-37. https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.3350230102
  11. Goodsira, F., Lonsdalea, J. A.,Mitchella, P. J., Suehringb, R., Farcasa, A., Whomersleya, P., Branta, J. L.,Clarkea, C., Kirbya, M. F., Skelhornc, M., & Hill, P. G. (2019). A standardised approach to the environmental risk assessment of potentially polluting wrecks. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 142, 290-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.038
  12. Hamdan, S. S. (2015). Reflections of shipwreck islands on navigation in the Shatt Al-Arab. Al-Ustath Journal, 214, 417-430.
  13. Herbert, J. (2013). The challenges and implications of removing shipwrecks in the 21st century. Available from Lioyd’s, London, 48pp.
  14. Horwood, J. W. (2000). No-take zones: A management context. Chapter 20: pp 302-311. In: Kaiser M. J. & de Groot, S. J. (Editors.). The effects of fishing on non-target species and habitats. Biological Conservation and Socio-economic Issues. Blackwell Science, Available in: VLIZ: Fisheries Science FIS.87 [99974].
  15. Hussain, N. A., Ali, T. S., & Younis, K. H. (1999). Temporal and spatial movements of common fishes to the mudflats of Iraq, northwest Arabian Gulf. Pakistan Journal Marine Biology, 5, 99-112.
  16. ISU (2016). International Salvage Union 2015 statistics demonstrate the value of the salvage industry. http://www.marine-salvage.com/media-information/press-release/international-salvage-union-2015-statistics-demonstrate-the-value-of-the-salvage-industry/.
  17. Kamm, N. (2014). An overview of pollution from shipwrecks. LLM Dissertation, University of Limpopo, South Africa. 89pp.
  18. Khaleefa, U. Q. (2014). Origin and evolution of the islands of the Shatt Al-Arab River southern Iraq. Ph. D. Thesis, College of Science, University of Basrah. 182pp. (In Arabic).
  19. Kingsley, S. A. (2009). Deep-Sea fishing impacts on the shipwrecks of the English Channel & Western Approaches. Odyssey Papers 4, Odyssey Marine Exploration, UK. 43pp.
  20. Mahdi, A. A. J. (1990). Mixing and circulation of the water masses in Khor Al-Zubair. M. Sc. Thesis, Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah. 106 pp (In Arabic).
  21. Marine Science Centre (2012). Shipwrecks in the Shatt Al-Arab River. Final Report, Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, 47 pp. (In Arabic).
  22. Michel, J., Gilbert, T., Schmidt-Etkin, D., Urban, R., Waldron, J., & Blocksidge, C. T. (2005). Potentially polluting wrecks in marine waters.
  23. NOAA (2015). Report on the impacts of ghost fishing via derelict fishing gear. Marine Debris Program. Silver Spring MD. 20 pp.
  24. Oliviera-Goumas, B. & El Houdagui, R. (2000). Safety and the causes of accidents in the fisheries sector. Information Note, FISH 501 EN. Directorate General for Research, Directorate A: Medium and long-term research, Division for Agriculture, Regional Policy, Transport and Development, European Parliament. 30pp.
  25. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2012). The environmental impact of sunken shipwrecks. Resolution, 1869. https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=18077&lang=en
  26. Sprovieri, M, Barra, M., Del Core, M., Di Martino, G., Giaramita, L., Gherardi, S., Innangi, S., Oliveri, E., Passaro, S., Romeo, T., Rumolo, P., Manta, D.S., Tamburrino, S., Tonielli, R., Traina, A., Tranchida, G., Vallefuoco, M., Mazzola, S. & Andaloro, F. (2013). Marine pollution from shipwrecks at the sea bottom: A case study from the Mediterranean Basin. pp 35-64. In Hughes T. B. (editor) Mediterranean Sea: ecosystems, economic importance and environmental threats. New York: Nova Publishers.
  27. UNEP (2003). Environment in Iraq: UNEP progress report.44 pp.
  28. UNESCO (2008). Convention on the protection of the underwater cultural heritage will enter into force in January 2009. UNESCO Press release No. 97-2008. http://www.ioc-unesco.org.
  29. Valerie, J. B. (2005). Warfare: Iraq’s toxic shipwrecks. Environmental Health Perspectives, 113, A230. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1278500/
  30. Vander Stoep, G. A., Vrana, K. J., & Tolson, H. (2002). Shipwreck management strategies for assessment and monitoring of newly discovered shipwrecks in a limited resource environment. Proceedings of the 1999 International Symposium on Coastal and Marine Tourism: Balancing Tourism and Conservation. pp 125-136. In: Miller, M. L., Auyong, J., & Hadley, N. P. (Editors): Vancover, B. C, Canada.
  31. Whittington, M., Zhang, A., & Campion, D. (2017). To remove or not to remove? Dealing with pollution risks from ship wrecks. In 2017 International Oil Spill Conference, 1-21. https://www.itopf.org/knowledge-resources/documents-guides/document/to-remove-or-not-to-remove-dealing-with-pollution-risks-from-ship-wrecks-2017/.
  32. WWF (2015). Removal of derelict fishing gear, lost or discarded by fishermen in the Baltic Sea – state of play. Third Meeting of the Working Group on Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area. Copenhagen, Denmark, 7th-9th October 2015. 8pp. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27407.18089