Risk assessment and control of the effect of shipborne bilgewater and wastewater discharges on marine pollution in Antalya Bay

All the world's seas are polluted annually with 10 billion tons of ballast water, 10 million tons of sewage, 3.25 million tons of oil, and millions of tons of solid waste. The sea provides 70% of the oxygen we need to live. Therefore, it is vital to protect our Blue Homeland seas from pollution, which is a significant source of income in terms of tourism, fishing, and maritime trade. Generally, in port cities, there is a risk of marine pollution caused by the bilge and wastewater of ships. It has been observed that risk assessment and management studies have been carried out on the pollution that may arise from oil pollution and accidents in the seas. However, it will be a unique study since there is no study on risk assessment and control of waste from ships. In the study, the model developed for the risk calculation of wastewater and bilge water originating from ships and used for the first time in the literature has a feature that can be applied to every port or every ship. In addition, this study calculated the health risk created by these wastes for the first time, and it was seen that it was at significant levels. The study determined that the amount of bilge waste produced by a ship could vary between 0,78-3,16 m3, and the amount of wastewater waste can vary between 9,28-15,38 m3. When the heavy metal concentrations measured in seawater were evaluated within the scope of the "Regulation on the management of surface waters," it was found that chromium was 16 times higher, zinc 7,5 times higher, and iron 162 times higher. According to the human health carcinogenic risk values calculated by the MCS method originating from heavy metals in the bilge and wastewater contents, it was determined that Ni in the bilge water content constitutes the highest risk. The model developed within the scope of this study is used in sensitive areas such as other ports or gulfs, where it is applied in Antalya Bay, and it is evaluated that the risk posed by bilge and wastewater can be reduced. It is assessed that the data obtained in this study in Antalya Bay show that there is a need for more comprehensive studies on the practical and correct management of ship waste.