The UK MCA has issued a Marine Guidance Note to inform on the revised waste notification form which is to be used by ships’ masters when delivering waste to port reception facilities.
The Regulations as amended are applicable to any harbour or terminal within the UK. Every harbour authority and terminal operator is required by the Regulations to provide waste reception facilities adequate to meet the needs of ships normally using the harbour or terminal in question, without causing undue delay to ships.
Many UK ports operate on a landlord (i.e. a terminal is rented from the port) basis and in such ports it may fall to the terminal operator to produce a Port Waste Management Plan and have appropriate reception facilities. In new cases the Secretary of State will, upon a request from the port and terminal in question, provide a direction to the terminal to provide a PWMP and appropriate reception facilities.
The major requirements of the 2003 Regulations as amended are as follows:
a) Ships must notify the harbour authority or terminal operator before entry into the port/terminal of the waste they will discharge, including information on types and quantities. The waste notification form is set out in Annex A. Ships do not have to notify about sewage if they intend to discharge it at sea in accordance with MARPOL.
b) Ships must deliver their waste to port reception facilities before leaving the port or terminal, unless it is sewage or they have sufficient dedicated storage capacity for the waste that has accumulated and is expected to accumulate during the voyage to the next port of call.
c) Ships must pay a mandatory charge to significantly contribute to the cost of port reception facilities for ship generated waste, whether they use them or not.
d) Recreational craft authorised to carry, or designed to carry no more than 12 passengers and fishing vessels must deliver their waste (other than sewage) to port reception facilities but are exempted from the requirement to notify before entry into port and the requirement to pay a mandatory charge.
The PWMP should include arrangements for the disposal of waste generated by such vessels. The vessel in question must lay down sustainable waste management practices in their applicable code of practice to ensure they manage their wastes in a manner consistent with the spirit of the regulations. This should take the form of individual contracts or similar arrangements with waste contractors or the port/terminal.
Further details may be found in the report herebelow
Source: UK MCA
