Effective from 1st July, the government of Finland has amended its Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport, tightening up the rules governing waste treatment in ports. The amendments are expected to prevent littering of marine and inland waters and discharges of hazardous substances into waters.
The aim is to improve waste management in ports to ensure that boaters and seafarers deliver waste to port on a regular basis, in line with the implementation of the updated Directive (EU) 2019/883 on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships.
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All ports must draw up a waste management plan. The Decree permits reception of waste at a port either with a fixed reception device, or with an on-demand reception service if necessary while specifying the details that must be included in a port waste management plan.
In addition, the Decree stipulates that waste charges will vary according to the hazardous nature of the waste and the costs incurred in handling the waste. Short sea shipping is also defined as a criterion under the Directive for reducing waste charges.
Finally, the Decree prescribes required precautionary measures when harmful cargoes or fuel are transferred between vessels outside port areas. For example, a vessel must arrange for an auxiliary vessel with adequate damage prevention equipment to attend when transferring dangerous goods or delivering fuel. The Decree also prescribes the details that a vessel must notify to the authorities in advance when transferring cargo or delivering fuel.
The President of the Republic ratified the Act Amending the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport on 29 June. Both the Act and the Decree will enter into force on 1 July 2021. It is estimated that hundreds of additional ports will now fall within the scope of regulation.
