file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm 81607 TRANSPORTATION, WATER AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THE WORLD BANK April 1991 Transport No. PS-4 MARPOL 73/78 (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) John R. Lethbridge MARPOL 73/78 prohibits the discharge of shipping wastes at sea. The Bank should encourage its ratification and help ensure that appropriate port reception facilities are provided. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78), was promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to prohibit all ships from discharging wastes at sea which could result in pollution of the marine environment. MARPOL 73/78 applies to oil tankers, cruise ships, general cargo and container vessels, tugs, ferries, yachts and small pleasure craft. The objective of the Convention is to reduce the volumes of harmful materials entering the world's ocean and the marine environment. Ships have traditionally discharged all of their waste into the sea. In the past, this waste was mainly foodstuffs, timber and packaging materials, ship's gear and lost cargo. More recently it has included oils, chemicals, plastics and other materials which may float, are not bio- degradable, are extremely persistent and deteriorate very slowly. Huge volumes of these materials can be found on the world's shorelines. To date, most of the industrialized countries have both signed and ratified the Convention. However, less developed countries have been slow to sign the Convention partly because of lack of appreciation of the potential benefits to their own country and fear of costs associated with the need to re-fit their national fleet to conform to the Convention (not really an issue in many instances) and to provide waste file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm (1 of 4)07/17/2005 10:00:25 AM file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm reception facilities in their ports and harbors. The countries most likely to benefit from the MARPOL 73/78 Convention are those whose economies are closely linked to tourism. The protection and sustainability of their marine environment is essential to preserve irreplaceable natural resources. THE PROBLEM MARPOL 73/78 requires that ships retain all the wastes on board until reaching port. However, certain wastes can be discharged under certain conditions such as the distance from shore, the type of waste and the condition of the waste (e.g., ground foodstuffs). Plastics of any kind cannot be discharged anywhere. The vessels must be equipped with dedicated holding tanks for sewage and oily wastes and have the capacity to compact and store garbage. Vessels trading with countries that have ratified MARPOL 73/78 must be so equipped. All countries must meet the costs of providing port reception facilities, as well as maintaining and operating them and disposing of the collected wastes in an environmentally sound manner. Where the wastes received are very small in comparison to the volumes generated by the adjacent municipality, there is usually no problem, but where the volume of wastes to be received from ships is significant and there is no local oil refinery which can accept used oils, major problems can develop. This problem is particularly acute for small island communities where the disposal of any form of waste is difficult to achieve in a sound environmental manner. THE WASTES There are four basic categories of ship generated wastes: q Oily waste. Usually some oil mixed with much larger quantities of sea water, but also fuel residues and sludges. q Chemicals. Noxious liquid substances carried in bulk in parcel tankers, dry bulk carriers or in portable containers. q Sewage. Generated by passengers and crew. q Garbage. Originating from the crew and passengers, the maintenance of the ship, cargo and fishing activities. THE RECEPTION FACILITIES MARPOL 73/78 requires that countries provide adequate reception facilities in all of their ports, harbors and anchorages. The reception of oily wastes from vessels requires a facility that can remove the water from the received waste and then dispose of the resulting oils. Where there is an adjacent oil refinery or oil recycling plant this is usually not a problem, but where no such facilities exist disposing of oil can be very difficult. file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm (2 of 4)07/17/2005 10:00:25 AM file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm Garbage is simpler to manage. The normal practice is to place a dumpster (skip) on each berth and for the port to haul the dumpsters to the adjacent municipal waste landfill site. A serious problem exists in ports where the adjacent municipality has no proper solid waste disposal system, quite a common situation. Sewage can be collected from the ship with a mobile vacuum tanker (or barge) and, where permissible, discharged into the municipal system, if there is one. The port may be faced with the installation of a sewage treatment plant if local authorities will not permit discharge into the municipal system or there is no system available. Most developing countries are not trading in bulk noxious substances, so the receipt of chemicals is not a major problem. THE ISSUES The major issue is the ultimate fate of the waste. There is little point in collecting wastes from vessels if the land-based system is to discharge waste to sea (such as Manila, Philippines). Most developing countries have foreign exchange difficulties and thus financing port reception facilities which require imported equipment, materials and expertise, poses a problem. Cost recovery is a further issue. To make the system effective and to reduce the risk of the ship discharging wastes at sea, the waste reception facilities should be perceived by the ship operator to be a free service and should be charged for as an integral part of port fees. Enforcement of the MARPOL Convention will also be difficult. ROLE OF THE WORLD BANK The role of the Bank is to urge and assist countries to sign and ratify the MARPOL Convention. All lending operations for port and harbor development, or other identifiable suitable vehicles, should ensure the provision of adequate port reception facilities in all the country's ports and harbors. It is likely that grant funds from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund will be available for such installations. Furthermore, lending operations related to municipal activities must consider the impact of additional wastes now being received at adjacent ports and harbors. TO LEARN MORE "MARPOL 73/78." INU Technical Policy Note, being prepared, March 1991. Lethbridge, J.R. "MARPOL 73/78 Convention: Economic Implications and Other Issues in Providing Reception Facilities in African Ports; A Study of Ten Representative Cases." April 1991. file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm (3 of 4)07/17/2005 10:00:25 AM file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm Kenton, K.J. and J. Hedburg. "Recycling of Oily Wastes in the Marine Industry." IMO/InterTanko, November 1988. Eastern Resources Group, Inc., "Economic Analysis of Declaring the Gulf of Mexico as a 'Special Area' under Annex V of the MARPOL Protocol," SS-46-U7-157, March 3, 1989. IMO, "Guidelines on the Provision of Adequate Reception Facilities in Ports: Part I (Oily Wastes); Part II Residues and Mixtures Containing Noxious Liquid Substances," "Guidelines for the Implementation of Annex V of MARPOL 73/78." file:///O|/PUBLIC/twu_xweb/transpor/publicat/td-ps4.htm (4 of 4)07/17/2005 10:00:25 AM