While you may have never heard of the Merchant Ship Sales Act of 1946, it might not sound so unusual that the Navy keeps out of commission merchant ships on reserve for times of emergency. In fact, this act allows them to do just that. These ships are not currently prepared for use, but could be activated within 20 to 120 days to meet requirements of the United States. They are available for both military and non-military emergencies, and are referred to as the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Sounds great, right?
Well, the truth of the matter is that most of these ships are beyond repair. In fact, some of the vessels have been classified as "non-retention," which means they will not be re-commissioned, and are simply waiting to be scraped for parts. These ships have been called "rotting and disintegrating" by the US government itself, and pose serious environmental threats. Unfortunately, many scrapyards are not purchasing steel and other parts due to such poor economic conditions, leaving the ships to rot and pollute the surface waters where they are anchored. Some of the older ships can be especially hazardous to water quality, as they can leak high amounts of lead paint, oil, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). PCBs are very dangerous to humans as they are quite persistent and have been known to cause certain forms of cancers and can even delay cognitive development in children who are exposed while still in the womb. How does this affect you, you might ask? Well, these ships are kept in three locations, Suisun Bay, CA; Beaumont, TX; and right in your backyard in the James River, VA.
So what is being done? Well, some of the ships have been towed to scrapping yards, but this is not a solution for the entire fleet. It can cost up to $1 million dollars to tow some of the most decayed ships according to the Maritime administration, and even as these ships are towed they continue to pollute the waters they travel through. It has also been suggested that the ships be disposed of outside the United States. Some environmental groups, such as Friends of the Earth, outright oppose towing the ships to sites outside the US. They argue that the United States has the means of disposing it's own waste and these environmental hazards should not travel further than necessary. It is clear that something must be done, and new legislation is necessary to provide safe solutions for removing these environmental risks.
I agree that there are many ways that older ships could be used rather than as floating messes in our surface waters. While you said many of the ships pollute the water with lead and PCBs, there is one alternative use for them that is not so harmful if they do not leak these pollutants--underwater habitats. It is not unheard of to intentionally sink ships that are out of commission as a means of underwater refuge for fish who normally nest and live near submerged structures (reefs, piers, etc.) As coral reefs are suffering from major die offs in areas like the Caribbean, maybe these ships, at least the ones that will not pose any serious environmental threats, could be sunk near coral reefs in order to provide a home for one of the most diverse types of ecosystems in the world.
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