Having already issued guidance with recommendations on the implementation of the PRF Directive, EMSA further issued guidance for Ship Inspections under the Directive. The purpose of this publication is to provide a harmonised approach to the enforcement of Directive on Port Reception Facilities for Ship-Generated Waste and Cargo Residues.
Specifically, this guidance has been developed to facilitate Ship Inspections that are presently being undertaken by the European Union Member States (MS) to enforce the PRF Directive.
It should be noted that DG Move and EMSA are currently developing systems to gather and provide additional pertinent information to help the PRF Inspector efficiently undertake PRF inspections based on the revised advanced notification form format in Directive (EU) 2015/20871.
The main objective of the PRF Directive is to reduce the discharge of ship-generated waste (SGW) and cargo residues (CR) into the sea, by requiring that vessels visiting EU ports deliver all SGW to PRF before departure. The PRF Directive also requires vessels to notify the port of the SGW and CR it intends to deliver and pay a fee to cover the costs of port reception facilities and the treatment and disposal of SGW.
The PRF Directive contains an obligation for ships to deliver SGW in each port. Therefore:
- If the PRF inspection takes place after delivery of the SGW and CR, the PRF inspector should check the details in the Advanced Waste Notification Form, scrutinise the Oil and Garbage Record Books, the ship’s logs and any receipts the PRF inspector to ascertain if:
- delivery of the pre-notified SGW and CR did occur; and
- the delivery was complete.
This information may also be collected from the PRF in the port as appropriate, prior to boarding the vessel; or,
- If the PRF inspection takes place before delivery of the SGW and CR, the PRF inspector should check
whether:
- the Advanced Waste Notification Form has been submitted;
- the Advanced Waste Notification Form is in line with a visual inspection of the SGW and CR onboard;
- the ship is preparing for SGW and CR to be delivered;
- the ship has been informed by the port, the ship’s agent, the PRF or the waste contractor, that transport will arrive at the ship with suitable PRF at a certain time;
- if appropriate, the ship’s agent has arranged for the ship to be serviced by PRF or a waste contractor; and,
- there have been no previous problems with the ship delivering its SGW or CR.
If the PRF inspector decides that the ship is not ready to deliver the SGW and/or CR it has notified on the Advanced Waste Notification Form, or no action has been taken to ensure this SGW and CR will be delivered, then the inspector should take relevant enforcement action.
The PRF Directive provides an exception for delivery of all SGW when the ship has sufficient storage capacity to keep SGW on board until the next port of call7. Furthermore, the PRF inspector will therefore have to decide whether the ship has sufficient capacity on-board for this waste and the waste likely to be produced on the next voyage.
The PRF Directive applies to all ships of all flags, including fishing vessels and recreational craft, calling at, or operating within, a port of a MS.
Further details may be found by reading the Guidance herebelow
Source: EMSA
