Special Report: 8,500 Toxic Shipwrecks. Zero Global Framework.

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3 hours ago

December 15, 2025

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Cody Good

Graphics & Design

Harrison Schell

Map showing the global density of World War-era shipwrecks and their estimated oil content, highlighting environmental risks to coastal nations.

View the full-size version of this graphic

Special Report: 8,500 Toxic Shipwrecks. Zero Global Framework.

Key Takeaways

Over 8,500 historic shipwrecks worldwide pose a toxic threat, containing millions of metric tons of oil and other hazardous materials.
Small island states are especially at risk, lacking the resources to monitor or respond to leaks in their waters.
The Malta Manifesto urges coordinated global action to identify and mitigate high-risk shipwrecks.

There are over 8,500 potentially polluting wrecks (PPWs) across the world’s ocean. These shipwrecks may hold as much as 20.4 million metric tons of oil and toxic substances, according to estimates.

This graphic, in partnership with Lloyd’s Register Foundation, shows the global density of World War II wrecks. It uses data from Paul Heersink’s Sunken Ships of the Second World War database and oil estimates from Michel et al., 2005, presented at the International Oil Spill Conference.

Where Toxic Shipwrecks Are Found

World War II battles sank over 75% of PPWs, concentrating most in regions such as the South Pacific (32% of PPWs, 25% of oil) and the North Atlantic (25% of PPWs, 38% of oil).

Here is a table that shows the concentration of PPWs by ocean region and their estimated oil content:

Ocean Region	Number of Shipwrecks	Oil Volume, Mid-Point Estimate (metric tons)
South Asian-Pacific	2,737	2,305,000
Northwest Atlantic	1,393	2,256,000
Northewest Pacific	1,152	568,500
Northeast Atlantic	786	1,969,500
Scandinavian-West Russian Arctic	398	493,000
Mediterranean Sea	361	566,000
North Pacific	329	379,000
Indian	296	730,000
Middle-Eastern Gulfs	193	846,500
Southwest Atlantic	160	194,500
Southeast Atlantic	74	441,500
Canadian Artic	13	7,900
East Russian Arctic	13	4,800
Southeast Pacific	12	48,500
Antarctic-Southwest Atlantic	1	108,500
Anarctic-Indian	1	26,450
Antarctic-Southeast Pacific	1	475

Source: Michel et. al., 2005

These wrecks remain under the ownership of the original flag states, who have no legal obligation to intervene. As a result, proactive international cooperation is urgently required.

The Environmental Threat

Many PPWs lie in the waters of small island states reliant on fishing and tourism. Even minor oil spills in sensitive marine areas can be devastating.

Here is a table showing the top 10 countries with the most PPWs located in their exclusive economic zones (EEZs), ranked by GDP:

Country	Ships within EEZ by GDP (Billions US$)
Micronesia	288.49
Marshall Islands	139.11
Solomon Islands	74.40
Nauru	37.42
Kiribati	22.74
Papua New Guinea	8.11
Vanuatu	6.89
Cape Verde	6.87
Sierra Leone	5.56
Liberia	4.63

Source: Shipwreck locations – Paul Heersink, 2025; EEZ file – Flanders Marine Institute, 2023

Because these nations often lack the resources to respond, they remain especially vulnerable to emerging threats.

The Malta Manifesto: Charting a Path Forward

The Malta Manifesto, launched by Project Tangaroa, calls for a global framework to address the PPW threat. It outlines key actions, from identifying high-risk wrecks to supporting coastal nations with limited capacity.

By recognizing that even a single leak in the wrong location can have far-reaching impacts, the Manifesto pushes for equitable, science-based solutions to this overlooked legacy of conflict.