The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) published a new edition of its ‘Guidance for the Preparation and Implementation of Garbage Management Plans as Required by MARPOL Annex V’.
This edition aims to help shipping companies comply with the latest requirements of the IMO regulation regarding treatment and disposal of garbage from ships.
Some of the latest changes to the global regulation include:
- Increased application of the regulations, increasing their scope by broadening the definition of what is garbage and introducing a general prohibition of its discharge into the marine environment, with very limited exceptions;
- Amendments in force since 2017 make the environment-related provisions of the IMO Polar Code (applicable to Annex V) mandatory;
- Definition of ‘E-waste’: new criteria to establish whether or not ‘cargo residues’ are harmful to the marine environment;
- New format of the Garbage Record Book which has been divided into two parts.
Garbage dumped at sea can be as harmful as oil or chemicals. Especially plastics take years to degrade, and fish and other marine life can easily confuse them with food.
Currently, the vast majority of garbage found at sea originates from land, however, ICS Deputy Secretary General, Simon Bennett said that ‘it is no longer acceptable, with very limited exceptions, for any merchant ship to dispose of garbage at sea because of the seriously damaging effects on the marine environment’.
Following the entry into force of some important amendments to MARPOL Annex V in 2017 and 2018 respectively, it is essential to provide updated advice to shipping companies on the latest requirements for ships to prepare and implement Garbage Management Plans.
See more information in the PDF herebelow
