The need for international policy regarding lost containers at sea for reducing marine plastic litter

ABSTRACT Since the agenda regarding the Marine Plastics Litter from Ships has been discussed in the IMO 73rd Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting of IMO, the issue of lost containers at sea has been raised recently. The issue of lost containers at sea from ships is closely related to economic and environmental aspects of the international shipping industry. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a relevant management system of lost containers at sea which is appropriate for the condition of each country by conducting an in-depth investigation of the relationship between lost containers and marine plastics litter due to the presence of plastic materials such as plastic resin pellets in the lost containers. In this paper, the progress of discussions in relation to marine plastic litter including lost containers will be introduced and discussed. Furthermore, based on the research, the need for the international policy and management system regarding lost containers at sea will be emphasized.