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I don't understand the outrage about imports, overseas shipping of waste, and a collapsed bridge. Pinning the blame on large corporations is pointing fingers back at us. We consume, want low prices, demand exceptional healthcare, and practice NIMBY. Third-world countries have built economies around scrapping ships, accepting medical and electronic waste, and providing crews for merchant ships.
One of the theories being tossed around is bad fuel. The dirty secret there is bunker fuel. Diesel engines will run on almost anything oil-based. Merchant ships will have multiple fuel tanks that allow for range and ballast. As the fuel is consumed, the tank fills with seawater for ballast. The fuel floats on top and is pushed up by the salt water. Bunker fuel is the not-so-secret dumping ground of the refinery world. The sludge leftover from refining fuels, used motor oil, leftover chemicals, and all this stuff will end up in bunker fuel. The shipping industry is disposing of the waste by running their engines on it. Normally, ships run on clean fuel when entering or leaving port, but they burn the bunker fuel in the open ocean. The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have shipping lanes, usually the shortest distance (great circle). Merchant ships exhaust more smoke at sea because of the fuel they're burning. The Russian's single carrier burns crap fuel too, that's why it's easy to find and was towed back to port several times.
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