Surfer, diver, artist mother of three, and raised in Durban — Claire Swithenbank-Bowman, 48, is taking on a key sector of the fossil fuel industry — the manufacturers of virgin plastic or nurdles.
Specifically, she is targeting the accidental dumping by the billion of these micro-balls of plastic from huge container ships hitting storm swell generated by our winter low pressure storms coming out of the south.
Huge swells, between 6m and 10m high, have been exerting such rolling force on container ships that the containers are being torn from the upper decks into the ocean, while in the stow, giant stacks of containers have keeled over causing damage and threatening vessel stability.
She has been demanding answers from the SA Maritime Association (Samsa) and French owned-global shipping corporation CMA CGM which recently lost 143 containers off two of its ships off the east coast between Richards Bay and further down past East London in the fast-flowing Agulhas current.
Not one of the containers, which are sized from 3m long to 12m, has been found and Samsa spokesperson Tebogo Ramatjie — at pains to stress that none of the contents are dangerous or hazardous — has declined to release details of what is on the manifests of the carefully administered container system.
Swithenbank-Bowman, a lone global voice, is harrying these entities in polite but determined letters.
She is driven by a loophole in international maritime regulations which gives the fossil-fuel-derived manufacturers of these devastating and deadline pollutants a free ride.
She has demanded that CMA CGM should not be allowed to lose their killer products — marine life eat the nurdles believing they are food and die from starvation, or the plastic clogs up their bodies — and should pay the community to clean up, including her organisation which is closely linked to creating food and jobs waste pickers.
Swithenbank-Bowman, who went to Danville Park Girls High, is a nature-focused artist, surfer and rescue diver.
“I spent my early years surfing along the South African and Eastern Cape coastlines.
“During this time, I witnessed the devastating effect of nurdles, especially after two huge spills that left trillions of these tiny plastic pellets on our beaches.
“This environmental disaster spurred me to invent the Mermaid Tear Catcher and uncover the global crisis of nurdle pollution.
“Despite the challenges, including navigating legal battles and securing funding, I’ve developed resilience and a deep commitment to environmental sustainability.
“I’m also an artist, and I sell my artwork to help fund my foundation’s work.
“Now based in California, I continue my efforts globally through Trash4Tokens USA/Mexico, driven by a desire to protect our oceans for generations to come.
“I have a personal connection to the ocean and I am committed to environmental protection.
“Our goal is to get the world to amend the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code for nurdles.
“Globally, the world needs to unite or we will fail to protect. No more excuses! Prevention is better than cure.
“You can change laws but that doesn’t affect immediately or prevent disasters.”
She is working with the UN Nations Environment Programme (UNEA) and has submitted a paper to be considered “so the world works together to amend the IMDG code for nurdles”.
She is a part of the Centre for Human Rights and Climate Change Volunteer Group for the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment and UNEA and lists research, advocacy and lobbying as core activities.
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