By Land or by Sea

The sinking of four ships including an oil tanker, and the possibility of four others breaking up, as a result of a storm in the Azov and Black Seas on Sunday highlights the dangers that modern transportation systems face, says Republicans Transport spokesman Bevan Berg.

Up to 2,000 metric tons of fuel oil have leaked from a sunken tanker in the Kerch Strait, with at least two other ships carrying potentially hazardous cargos when they sank, including nearly 6,000 tons of sulphur.

The recent high winds which brought road transport to a halt in the lower North Island were a minor interruption to our transport system compared to this incident, and the possible environmental consequences much more serious.

This highlights the need for us to be vigilant in our own transport activities, and to be prepared to adapt to our changing environment rather than ignore to the increasing risk of such disasters.

We should not under estimate the isolated nature of our country, and the need to continually monitor what is a changing global environment.

ENDS

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