Hydrocarbons in seawater and sediment from the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00199035· OSTI ID:6917166

Abdullah, A R; Tahir, N M; Wei, L K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

The Straits of Malacca, along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, is one of the busiest waterways in the world with about 2000 vessels passing through it per month, of which about 25 percent are oil tankers of varying sizes. In the course of their passage, the practices of tanker ballasting and pumping of bilges by non-tanker vessels result in considerable pollution in these waters. Collisions and groundings also cause oil spills in Malaysian waters. Oil contaminants not only pollute the high seas but also affects the near-coastal waters. Marine oil pollution, in particular that of near-coastal waters, may also be attributed to land-based activities such as the utilisation of petroleum related products, the direct discharge of untreated municipal and industrial wastes containing refined and partly weathered oils to sewers and rivers, and the discharge of effluents from refineries and other similar sources. There is, at present, little information available on the total hydrocarbon concentrations (THCs) in water and sediments in these waters. The present study was undertaken to determine the levels of hydrocarbons in water and sediments along the near-coastal areas of the Straits of Malacca. 21 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6917166
• Journal Information: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States), Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States) Vol. 53:4; ISSN 0007-4861; ISSN BECTA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900* -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ASIA
COASTAL WATERS
CONTAMINATION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MALAYSIA
OIL SPILLS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
SEAWATER
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
WASTE OILS
WASTES
WATER