Maritime
European
shipowners
support the
proposal for
better waste
handling Port
Reception
Facilities
Port Congestion
T
he recently published proposal for a new Directive on
Port Reception Facilities is welcomed by ECSA, as
it addresses major issues with the current system in
place. The new proposal will help in ensuring there are
adequate port reception facilities available, require an
advance waste notification from ships as well as a waste
delivery receipt for reception facilities, and facilitate
monitoring and enforcement through existing systems
for electronic reporting and the exchange of information.
It also suggests a reasonable, transparent and functional fee system
forming an incentive to shipowners to deliver waste ashore. “We believe
that the procedures in ports should be as efficient as possible, to keep
costs at acceptable levels. Therefore, the 100% indirect system for
MARPOL Annex V residues should exclude hazardous waste, as not all
ships deliver this type of waste all the time”, said Martin Dorsman, ECSA
Secretary General.
“Additionally, by requiring that ships have to deliver all their waste
every time they leave for a port outside the European Union, the EU
would ignore the importance of International Maritime Organization’s
(IMO) international database of port reception facilities, in which IMO’s
member states list all their approved port reception facilities. A better
alignment with IMO rules and procedures would ensure that ships can
deliver their garbage in any facility which is included in IMO’s Global
Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) database and thus not
only in European facilities”, he added.
With regard to Short Sea Shipping, the movement of cargo and
passengers by sea over short distances, Martin Dorsman commented:
“Shifting transport from land to water has many advantages. It would
reduce current road congestions and lower external cost and the impact
on our environment. This could well be achieved with the Directive if
the right choses are made. Short sea vessels that are not sailing on fixed
routes according to a published schedule, but may be calling regularly
and frequently at the same ports, should be allowed to skip delivering
22
Martin Dorsman, ECSA
Secretary General
Credits:
Credits: europeanshippers.eu
waste every time they call at a port under the same conditions as
for example ferries. This is not the case in the current proposal. Short Sea
Ships should also be guaranteed differentiated fees as this will increase
the competitive position”.
ECSA believes that applying differentiated fees for ships that treat
waste in an environmentally sound manner is good. However, ECSA does
not support defining a new concept of “Green Ships” at the EU level, as it
is already carried out by the IMO. In addition, it would create yet another
ranking system with already many such ranking systems operational.
Finally, vessels not having received a waste receipt will not be allowed
to leave the port. ECSA suggests to have special arrangements in place
for small ports, since they may need more time to issue a waste delivery
receipt, especially outside normal working hours.
http://www.ecsa.eu/
Please find our position paper here. // : http://www.ecsa.eu/sites/default/
files/publications/FINAL%20ECSA%20Position%20Paper%20PRF%20Di-
rective.pdf