Revista Sextante

Marine Pollution Prevention and Environmental Management Practices in Naval and Commercial Ports

Rafael Ignacio Tanaka-Moreau

Centre for Port Environment and Maritime Sustainability, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Keywords: marine pollution prevention, port environmental management, naval ports, shore power, sediment and ballast management

Abstract

Ports are indispensable nodes of global trade and national defence, but they are also concentrated sources of marine pollution. Commercial terminals and naval bases alike generate air emissions, wastewater, oily residues, solid waste, contaminated sediments, underwater noise and risks of biological invasion, all within sensitive coastal and estuarine waters. This article reviews the principal pathways of port-related marine pollution and the management practices used to prevent and control them. It examines emissions abatement and shore power, ballast and wastewater management, oil spill prevention and response, dredging and sediment management, hull antifouling and biosecurity, waste reduction, environmental management systems and monitoring indicators, and the governance arrangements that support implementation. The review shows that effective prevention rests on a combination of source control, infrastructure investment, systematic monitoring and cooperation among port authorities, operators, navies and regulators. It also identifies persistent gaps, including uneven enforcement, limited data from military facilities and the difficulty of managing cumulative effects. A risk-based, indicator-driven and transparent approach to port environmental management offers the most reliable route to protecting coastal ecosystems while sustaining maritime operations..