The world is gravely concerned because of the economic uncertainty looming ahead due to the Iran War. However, as more than 1,500 ships continue to idle in the Strait of Hormuz, an ecological “superspreader” hazard can be on our platter when the route opens. A threat that can destroy ecosystems and might pose concerns for human health.
Marine Invasion on Idle Ships
The biological toll of a war is often overlooked, especially in an era where pinning down commerce can lead to a deadlock. After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, the Iranian administration retaliated by restricting shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz— a shipping route that facilitates 20% of the world’s oil supply.
In a study published July 22 in the journal Biological Invasions, scientists explain how the stranded and idle ships can harbor marine microbes, algae, seaweed, barnacles, and other invertebrates. While ships do linger for a day or two at ports, a standstill exceeding 10 days creates an ideal situation for the critters to latch onto the ship’s body. The special coatings that protect ships from contamination start to degrade and act less efficiently to thwart these organisms. The critters then colonize the ships aggressively, and if the ships carry them into new environments, they can wreak havoc on local ecosystems.
Ships from various parts of the world carry different species of such organisms, which can mix and colonize. Mario Tamburri, a professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and first author of the study, cautions us about a “superspreader” event ensuing the lifting of the blockade, when the ships start to head to their destinations. Marine invasions are especially difficult to predict, but the dangers of several foreign species thriving in new habitats and causing environmental distress are great.
The Zebra Mussels Case
Tamburri pointed to the example of how zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) seized the Great Lakes. The mollusks are native to Europe and Asia, and the water discharged from large European cargo ships is thought to have brought them into the United States in the 1980s. The invasive species filter out algae that native species feed on, and attach to native mussels, making them immobile, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Zebra mussels clog pipes and water supply systems, and authorities have to spend millions of dollars to fix them.
Each female zebra mussel can produce thousands of eggs at once. Such huge numbers make clearing out the mussels impossible once the populations are established. Invasive species outcompete native species for space and resources, and often, due to the lack of natural predators, grow unchecked. Even worse, some invasive species can carry and spread diseases that the local ecosystem isn’t prepared to fight.
April Blakeslee, an associate professor of biology at East Carolina University, emphasizes the often overlooked concern with biological invasions— the spread of infective stages of parasites. These can be entrained within the ship ballast tanks or can be associated with organisms attached to ship hulls. Parasites and disease introduced by ships could then spill over to native species, posing a risk to both human health and wildlife.
In fact, the spread of a disease from ships is something we are very familiar with.
Black Death Arrived on Ships
In the Siege of Kaffa (Feodosia)— a port in Crimea controlled by the Republic of Genoa in modern-day Italy- the Mongols catapulted infected corpses into the port. The account comes from Gabriele De’ Mussi, a notary from Piacenza. The disease soon spread among the sailors and merchants. Victims developed painful swells, had fever, and spitted up dark blood. The infected died within days, and even hours, from the appearance of the symptoms.
Panicked sailors and merchants fled Kaffa and, by October 1347, docked their ships in Sicily. Rats and fleas that carried the disease— the plague- came on these ships. What followed is known as the Black Death, a pandemic that killed almost half of the European population.
While something as big as the Black Death is not on the horizon, the crisis a foreign pathogen brings is not a foreign concept. Tamburri said that the areas most at risk are first ports of call with similar temperatures and salt levels to the Gulf region, if a spillover happens from the stagnant ships. Ports in India, Singapore, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean have a similar environment to that of the Gulf waters.
Is There a Way to Prevent “Superspreading”?
According to the researchers, cleaning ships in the water before they leave the Gulf region can significantly limit the superspreading of these organisms. Early detection systems at high-risk ports and monitoring risks before departure can reduce the damage.
While the human and economic consequence of the Iran War puts more burden overall, ecological impacts cannot be taken lightly. The only way to prevent a “superspreader” event is to maintain cleanliness and be alert when Hormuz opens.
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