Ocean dumping is internationally defined as "any deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other matter from vessels, aircraft, platforms, or other man-made structures at sea, and any deliberate disposal at sea of vessels, aircraft, platforms, or other man-made structures at sea." The discharge of sewage and other effluents from a pipeline and the discharge of waste incidental to, or derived from the normal operations of, ships are not considered ocean dumping. Wastes have been dumped into the ocean for thousands of years. Fish and fish processing wastes, rubbish, industrial wastes, sewage sludge, dredged material, radioactive waste, pharmaceutical wastes, drilling fluids, munitions, coal wastes, cryolite, ocean incineration wastes, and wastes from ocean mining have all been dumped at sea. Ocean dumping has historically been more economically attractive, when compared with other land-based waste management options.

The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of...