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Boom in ships that fly ‘fake’ flags and trash the environment

The number of ships using a ‘flag of convenience’ loophole that allows them to be scrapped in a place with lax environmental regulations is skyrocketing.
  1. Quirin Schiermeier
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Ships transport 90% of the world’s traded cargo, so are crucial to the global economy. But when tankers and other large vessels are demolished, they generate huge amounts of marine pollution, particularly if it happens in countries where environmental regulations for ship-breaking yards are lax.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01391-3

References

  1. Wan, Z., Wang, L., Chen, J. & Sperling, D. Mar. Pol. 130, 104542 (2021).

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