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Abstract
Shipyard operations worldwide are recognized as a significant source of marine environmental contamination, yet no published assessment has evaluated seawater quality specifically at the Shipbuilding and Repair Maintenance, Incorporated (SRMI) Shipyard in Tubay, Agusan del Norte, Philippines, against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Class SC marine water standards. This study determined the physicochemical parameters (pH, total alkalinity, total suspended solids, oil and grease concentration, and dissolved oxygen) and heavy metal concentrations (copper, nickel, manganese, and iron) of seawater adjacent to the SRMI Shipyard relative to DENR Class SC standards. The study employed a quantitative, non-experimental descriptive-evaluative design. One composite seawater sample was collected within approximately 100 meters of the shipyard dock in January 2025 and analyzed at the Department of Science and Technology laboratory in Ampayon, Butuan City. pH (8.4), total alkalinity (165 mg/L), total suspended solids (36 mg/L), and dissolved oxygen (8.18 mg/L) all fell within DENR limits, as did iron (0.2882 mg/L); copper, nickel, and manganese were not detected. Oil and grease measured 1.6 mg/L, exceeding the 1.0 mg/L DENR standard by 60%, the sole non-compliant parameter identified. This narrow, parameter-specific contamination profile indicates that SRMI Shipyard's environmental impact on adjacent seawater is currently concentrated in petroleum-based discharge rather than heavy metal contamination, supporting a correspondingly narrow and well-targeted corrective intervention focused on oil containment and waste-oil management rather than a broad-spectrum pollution control overhaul.