The Black Tears of the Sea: the Lethal Legacy of Wrecks

Scattered around the coasts of the world are ticking time bombs, so far virtually unknown to the public; 6,300 wrecks, sunk in the Second World War, have been rusting away in the sea for over 70 years. The threat they pose goes way beyond all the oil spill catastrophes ever experienced. In 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground off Alaska, polluting the coast with 37,000 tonnes of leaked crude oil. That’s just a fraction of what’s assumed to lie in the wartime wrecks. Researchers estimate they still hold up to 15 million tonnes of oil.
The film takes us to the Baltic coast of Poland, to Norway, to the USA and the Pacific Ocean. We accompany scientists examining how badly the seabed is already contaminated in some places by seeping oil. They monitor critical wrecks and develop hazard scenarios. They warn that the oil in quite a few sunken ships must be pumped away as a matter of urgency.
There is still time to dispose of “the black tears of the sea” safely. But despite all the warnings, very few governments have so far done anything at all to avert the threat. Pumping the oil out of the wrecks is technically possible, but it would be a complex and expensive undertaking. The experts, though, are warning that many wrecks are now entering a critical stage. Because of the decades of corrosion in salty seawater, the steel walls of some wrecks need only slight vibrations to split open. The hulls of many sunken ships are in a very fragile condition.
The film enters upon research in the depths of the seas, which is both thrilling and controversial - and documents a race against time. Oceanographers, coastguards and salvage experts around the world agree on one thing: the question is not whether further massive oil spills from Second World War wrecks will cause oil pollution, but when.
Director : Christian Heynen

[@maxamedxuseen1740]

Thanks for your great effort to protect the environment. GOD BLESS YOU.

[@ToRung]

*_i hope your special day will bring you lots of happiness, love and fun💞_*

[@user-oo2br5yd9j]

True I see fishing boats chopped up i n 18 inch lengths , oul tar on the beaches in the Caribbean

[@Maven0666]

You should do rivers and lakes too. Cruddy gunk in there too.😒

[@davebarber9510]

Government starts wars and benefits from industrial sectors and allows them to dump toxic chemicals and we all get taxed to death to clean up the mess. About right lol

[@ScpCelestial]

2.5 to 25 million ton of oil wtffff that’s a lot

[@marydaisy4627]

Ya

[@donotresuscitate5281]

Pretty sure the BP disaster was way worse than any of this could be combined

[@sarahlee6641]

If anyone finds the backing music familiar, someone may have adapted the "das boot" theme here.

[@MX5MAN4]

we need to act now!!! goverments need to sort this before its too late!!

[@baraahhamdi8533]

i guess it would cost more if they leaked out the oil , deal with it before you can't

[@Kippis..]

No here in Finland they pump oil.ok there still are oil.pump more more

[@zerepaicrag]

¿Y los afloramientos naturales de petroleo y betún?, ah, claro, no existen.

[@user-oo2br5yd9j]

Clean up oil and svrap mettal from 2023 ,24 as well!

[@janhonenpaavo6713]

5:07

[@jorgecruzseda7551]

WHY NOT GO AND PUMP IT OUT AND RECYCLE IT????? THERE WOULD BE $$$$ in That!!!! 😢

[@jtowens-masonry3359]

no there wouldn’t it would not even pay for the salvage operation ding dong

[@katharinecarmichael7759]

For MORE Greed?!