The EPA is continuously working on improving marine pollution control to protect marine environments and safeguard ocean resources. This involves regularly upgrading marine pollution control systems and effectively monitoring and controlling pollution through the application of advanced tools such as satellite technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and computer modeling of dispersal patterns for oil and chemical pollutant spills. The EPA thus aims to both stop pollution at source and prevent illegal acts. Legal Basis The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) outlines the international responsibilities that each signatory party has toward marine environments as specified in the convention, with each party agreeing to cooperate over marine environmental protection either on a regional or global basis. Using the UNCLOS as a frame of reference, the EPA formulated the Marine Pollution Control Act, which was promulgated on 1 November 2000. The work of marine environmental protection is heavily focused on pollution control and ecological conservation. Taiwan’s Marine Pollution Control Act covers both pollution control and management, including marine pollution control management and emergency response. The act includes measures to prevent pollution incidents deriving from the transportation of oil, from marine engineering projects, and from land-based sources. The EPA employs a number of advanced tools to strengthen cooperation between public and private entities that conduct aerial and marine patrols aimed at preventing polluting activities at sea. Other technologies employed include the intermittent use of satellite remote monitoring and UAVs to facilitate inspections of pollution sources suspected of illegally discharging pollutants. Some of the specific uses of advanced tools in marine pollution control and emergency response in 2014 are detailed as follows: 1. Use of Satellite Technology and UAVs to Enhance Marine Pollution Inspection and Emergency Response Capabilities 1) Satellite remote sensing and UAVs are intermittently used to monitor the main island of Taiwan and its surrounding marine territories. As one of the operations permitted under the Marine Pollution Control Act, aerial filming of vessels suspected of discharging oily water was conducted to quickly ascertain whether or not pollution had occurred. Vessels that were verified to have caused pollution were then dealt with by local government environmental protection bureaus and marine bureaus, the Coast Guard Administration, and the Maritime and Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. 2) In 2014, the EPA conducted a total of 18 days of aerial monitoring of ships involved in waste dumping, oil discharging or construction projects at sea. On 3 July 2014, the EPA caught a cruise ship dumping waste outside of the designated marine dumping area at Yongan Port （永安港）. The EPA fined the ship’s operator NT$300,000 in accordance with Articles 20 and 51 of the Marine Pollution Control Act. 3) On 10 October 2014, the marine research ship Research Vessel Ocean Researcher 5 （RV OR5, 海研5號）sank in waters 2.1 nautical miles off the east coast of Huxi Township（湖西鄉）, Penghu County（澎湖縣）. To get a fuller picture of the ensuing oil spill problem, the EPA examined a total of 37 images of the sea surrounding the spot where the RV OR5 sank, taken almost daily at 10 a.m. between 12 October and 28 November by the FORMOSAT-2 satellite of National Central University. The images were a valuable aid to the EPA and other emergency response units in the task of locating and responding to the oil slicks. 4) The EPA conducted 18 days of aerial monitoring of oil transportation undertaken by China Petroleum Corp. from buoy moorings. No abnormalities were discovered. 2. Improving Computer Modeling Accuracy for Marine Oil and Chemical Spills to Enhance Emergency Response Strategy Planning 1) The EPA is employing the computer modeling software OilMap and ChemMap to simulate possible dispersal patterns for marine oil and chemical spills. Used in combination with Central Weather Bureau data and flow distributions calculated using HydroMap hydrodynamic modeling software, the EPA is able to predict the scope of impact of marine oil and chemical pollution incidents. The EPA has also adapted oil radar technology from land-based monitoring vehicles to improve its marine oil and chemical spill monitoring capacity and assist in emergency response planning and dispatching of equipment. The more effective the initial response, the less impact the pollution has on nearby coastal environments. 2) Modeling of marine oil spill dispersal patterns – In 2014 the EPA carried out 71 marine oil spill dispersal pattern modeling simulations. The simulations were done over the course of 12 cases, including: four incidents requiring emergency response, one sandbox model simulation, one response drill, and six hypothetical scenarios. Fifty-eight model simulations were conducted for the RV OR5 sinking incident to ascertain whether or not the oil spilling from the wreckage would have an impact upon the nearby coastline. The EPA was also able to incorporate weather data into the computer models, thus making daily adjustments to the predicted dispersal patterns of the oil pollution. The results of the pollution dispersal simulation were then immediately passed on to local government environmental protection bureaus and other relevant units so that they could adopt appropriate emergency response measures and dispatch equipment to where it was most needed. 3) On-site monitoring of marine oil pollution using vehicle-mounted radar monitoring: By positioning vehicle-mounted radars to monitor along the coast, the EPA is able to gauge the scope of marine oil spill dispersal within three to eight kilometers off the coast. When combined with data on wind speed, wind direction, ocean currents, wave height and other meteorological data, the radar data can enhance the accuracy of oil pollution dispersal simulations. In 2014, the EPA continued assisting local government environmental protection bureaus to conduct marine pollution emergency response drills that take account of different topographic and geological traits of Taiwan's coasts. The EPA also conducted eight days of monitoring of locations that have a history of oil spills, or that have been assessed to be at high risk of having one. 4) Modeling of marine chemical pollution dispersal: After consulting the International Maritime Organization’s list of high-risk chemical substances and the Ministry of Finance’s statistics on the economic value of all high-risk chemicals imported into or exported from Taiwan in 2014, the EPA selected 12 chemicals for marine dispersal simulations. Each of the 12 chemicals (dimethylbenzene, acrylonitrile, ethylene glycol, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, butane, nitric acid, ethyl acetate, ammonium nitrate, ethylene, urea, and 2-butoxyethanol) was run through 13 ChemMap or HydroMap marine dispersal simulations. Then, based on the simulation outcomes, principles and contingency options were formulated for four main incident management tasks – namely, on-site response, command and assessment, disaster relief, and clean-up and restoration – to serve as references for future marine chemical spill incidents. Future Approaches The EPA intends to continue employing advanced tools such as UAVs and satellite remote sensing to conduct monitoring, in addition to analyzing existing data on Taiwan’s climate and ocean currents, in order to fine tune computer simulations of marine oil and chemical spill dispersal patterns. More accurate dispersal pattern models will allow the EPA to effectively respond to such emergencies and will assist in strategic decision-making during such incidents. Excerpt from Environmental Policy Monthly, 18 (6)