BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION

NAVIERA ARMAS TRASMEDITERRÁNEA, A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY AND THE CONSERVATION OF MARINE ECOSYSTEMS.

SEABED AND COASTLINE CLEANING

At Naviera Armas Trasmediterránea we are moved by water and are aware of the great riches it has to offer, which is why we regularlycarry out campaigns to raise awareness about the environment.

At Naviera Armas Trasmediterránea we focus our efforts so all operations have the least impact possible on the environment in which we carry out our work, the sea, and on the life that resides in it.

Out of commitment to the cause, we have sponsored numerousSeabed and Coastline Clean-upsin collaboration withEcomar and Oceánidas.Divers from the Marine Watchers Network and anonymous volunteers have collaborated in the project. With this initiative, more than 4 million plastic products, amounting to more than 10 tons of rubbish have been removed from different areas of the Spanish coast. The rubbish collected is mainly domestic waste, hazardous waste and even medicines, which are categorised by type and area in order to design action plans specific to each case.

In addition to removing waste from the environment, the aim of these initiatives is to raise public awareness so that rubbish does not reach the sea but ends up in its respective separate collection bins.

Life on our planet revolves around the oceans and the oceans revolve around the planet. They are the source for food and sustenance for more than 3.5 billion people, generating jobs and significant amounts of money which move the global economy. However, in spite of their importance, the seas and oceans are facing a serious problem: pollution and waste in their waters.

The data are shocking: Every year 1 billion tons of waste ends up in oceans from different sources, such as the runoff of water that has not been filtered or purified, river water runoff along watercourses and ravines, and abandoned fishing gear, among others. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 70% of this waste ends up on the seabed, while 15% remains afloat in the water column, and the remainder gets washed up on beaches.

Of the floating waste, more than 90% is made up of plastics, which can travel thousands of kilometres over years, driven by winds and sea currents, and are eaten by many marine species that mistake them for food. This causes the deaths of more than 1 million birds, turtles and mammals every year worldwide.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest of 5 ‘islands’ of this type in the world, with dimensions exceeding the size of France.

We are also collaborating with FESBAL (The Spanish Federation of Food Banks), exchanging the kilos of rubbish collected from Spanish seabeds and beaches for kilos of food, which the organisation arranges to go to vulnerable people.