Environment and Safety

The maritime industry has increasingly become the focus of new environmental rules and regulations, and must now comply with a broad array of requirements in the areas of air and water quality, hazardous waste disposal, and aquatic species protection. The mobile nature of the maritime industry requires that standards be set and the international and national levels so that mobility is not hampered while the environment is protected. Safety in the maritime industry also requires standards to be set at an international level, and the Maritime Administration plays a key role in asserting the need for consistent, uniform international laws and policies.

The Maritime Administration also works with the shipbuilding industry to find technological solutions to environmental problems associated with the construction and design of ships, and we encourage cooperative research programs in regional and international bodies that are working to solve these problems.

For more information, visit the Office of Environment and Compliance web site.