Europe’s Black Seas investigation exposes a chronic, large-scale problem of illegal oily wastewater discharges that evade existing surveillance and enforcement mechanisms. Despite millions spent on the EU’s CleanSeaNet satellite and radar system, only 1.5% of potential spills are checked within the three-hour window needed for evidence collection. Vessels routinely bypass onboard treatment, falsify records, and dump under the cover of night or disabled AIS signals, ensuring most incidents go unpunished.
