Ships sailing across the world’s seas resemble ‘small moving communities,’ similar to a village or town. Crew members have the same needs and lifestyle as onshore personnel. The same applies to the waste generated while living onboard. Garbage from ships can be just as deadly to marine life as oil or chemicals, IMO highlights.
On average, each person worldwide produces 0.74 kilograms of waste per day, though this can vary significantly depending on location, ranging from 0.11 kilograms to 4.54 kilograms per person per day. If we consider an average of 2.3 kilograms per person per day, a ship with a crew of 20 seamen would generate 46 kilograms of waste daily, amounting to nearly half a ton of garbage over a 10-day voyage. Even using the global average of 0.74 kilograms per person per day, a 10-day journey would still produce 150 kilograms of waste. These figures do not account for operational waste generated by hazardous (HME) or non-hazardous (non-HME) cargo.
Thus, the IMO, in order to regulate garbage handling on board ships, has developed MARPOL Annex V, which sets the requirements for waste management. Annex V applies to all ships, meaning vessels of any type operating in the marine environment, from merchant ships to fixed or floating platforms, as well as non-commercial vessels such as pleasure crafts and yachts.
MARPOL Annex V generally prohibits the discharge of all garbage into the sea, except in specific cases clearly outlined in the regulation. Annex V defines garbage as all types of food, domestic and operational waste, including plastics, cargo residues, incinerator ashes, cooking oil, fishing gear, and animal carcasses generated during the normal operation of the ship and liable to be disposed of continuously or periodically.
MARPOL Annex V establishes the Special Areas, where for recognized technical reasons relating to their oceanographic and ecological condition and the particular character of traffic, such as heavy maritime traffic, low water exchange, extreme ice states, endangered marine species, etc., the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of marine pollution by garbage is required.
These areas are:
- Mediterranean Sea area
- Baltic Sea area
- Black Sea area
- Red Sea area
- Gulf area
- North Sea area
- Wider Caribbean Region and
- Antarctic area (South of 60oS)
Note that the Arctic area (north of 60°N) is not classified as a Special Area under Annex V, but restrictions for garbage handling have been applied through the Polar Code.
The effectiveness of ships in complying with MARPOL discharge requirements depends largely on the availability of adequate port reception facilities, especially within Special Areas. In this regard, as stated in Annex V, coastal states must ensure the provision of adequate reception facilities at ports and terminals for garbage disposal, without causing undue delays to ships, and according to the specific needs of the vessels using them.
As with all maritime regulations, the enforcement of MARPOL Annex V falls under the responsibility of Port State Control. This means that Port State Control officers can inspect foreign-flagged ships at a port or offshore terminal within their jurisdiction and take action if there are clear grounds to believe that the master or crew are not familiar with essential shipboard procedures for preventing pollution by garbage.
Garbage handling remains a significant challenge for the maritime industry, impacting both the oceans and the shores, and can be deadly for fish and marine mammals. The requirements of MARPOL Annex V provide a solid framework and approach to help minimize this problem.
