General
Raw materials are transported by tanker, container ship, freight train or pipeline from the extraction site to the processing and production facilities. Finally, the finished products travel to consumers and, at the end of their useful life, to the place of disposal or recycling. A product and its components travel thousands of kilometers across continents and oceans.
Means of transport
The main means of transport are tanker, container ships, freight trains, lorries and pipelines.
Maritime routes and the environment
Pollutants
Almost everything is transported by ships, for example bananas from Africa, crude oil from Saudi Arabia and smartphones from China. Over nine billion tons of global sea freight per year can be felt not only under the sea but also on the surface. This makes it as a problem for the sea and also for the animals in the water. The amount of pollution caused by ships is almost equal as the one caused by road traffic. Ozone levels are rising sharply.
Noise
The oceans are becoming noisier now than ever before. Military sonars, tanker propellers and other noise sources are causing high sound levels, which are comparable with the sound of a jet aircraft taking off. These noises cause a lot of stress to animals. Due to the noise, whales can be impaired in their orientation, can’t search for food and mates, have communication problems etc.
Wind as an energy source at sea
There are various different opportunities to reducing the fuel consumption, operating costs and emissions of freight ships. The company “SkySails” equips container ships with a towing kite to use the wind power. This type of construction saves about 15% fuel.
Quiz question
How does the noise at sea affect the animals?
A) Helps with the development of the animals
B) Causes a great deal of stress
C) Better orientation
Vocabulary
freight train = Güterzug
production facilities = Produktionsstätten
place of disposal = Entsorgungsort
crude oil = Rohöl
sea freight = Seefracht
tanker propellers = Tankschiff-Propeller
fuel consumption = Treibstoffverbrauch
towing kite = Zugdrachen
fuel = Treibstoff
PowerPoint presentation
Transport.pdf
Source: https://sway.office.com/lVjH2t0E97wdWaFF
Kamanya & Karishma