The impact of Garbage Pollution in the marine environment is more than Aesthetic.
Other than spoiling coastlines, it causes severe harm to marine life by ensnaring or ingestion, amongst other things.
Annex V (Garbage from Ships)-
This Annex entered into force on 31st December 1988.
It contains regulations for the prevention of pollution by
garbage, which applies to all ships.
They prohibit the disposal into the sea of all plastics,
including but not limited to synthetic ropes, synthetic
fishing nets and plastic garbage bags.
They restrict the disposal into the sea of Garbage, which
includes all kinds of victuals, and domestic and operational
waste generated during the normal operation of the ship.
The disposal into the sea of the following Garbage shall
be made as far as practicable from the nearest land, but in
any case is prohibited if the distance from the nearest land
is less than:
- 25nautical miles for dunnage, lining and packing
materials which will float;
- 12nautical miles for food wastes and all other
garbage including paper products, rags, glass,
metal, bottles, crockery, and similar refuse.
If passed through a commiter or grinder, Garbage in
this category may be disposed into the sea not less
than 3nautical miles from the nearest land,
- Special and Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas. AnnexV
applies to all sea areas. Additional more stringent
regulations apply to Special Areas, except the Gulf of Aden
Area, and to the Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas .
The Master should ensure that shipboard garbage is disposed of under
MARPOL 73/78: Annex V. Annex V prohibits the disposal of plastics anywhere into the sea, and severely restricts discharges of other Garbage from ships into coastal waters and "Special Areas".
The dumping of any waste overboard is in total contradiction to all company policies
and procedures and international conventions. It shows total disrespect and
disregard towards the environment in which we all live and to fellow shipmates
whose livelihoods depend upon us adhering rigidly to the regulations.
Quite rightly, there is a general worldwide attitude of zero tolerance to
environmental incidents. The USA, in particular, has been aggressive in leading the
way and in fining polluters. Non-compliance is not an option. We are also now aware of increased interest by USCG PSC inspectors on vessels with particular focus on garbage management
procedures and records on the oil record book.
The impact on company reputations is significant and could be highly damaging. If found
guilty, it could be that one person's seemingly mindless actions have put his
freedom in jeopardy and put both Owners and management at risk of substantial
penalties and probationary periods.
We now require, as a matter of great urgency, to review garbage disposal procedure with all
staff on board, and ensure that all aspects of the international garbage management system
and all other environmental controls are in order and clearly understood by
everyone.
Garbage Management Plan
A "Garbage Management Plan" issued to each ship.
It details the procedures for collection, segregation, processing, storage, and disposal of all kinds of ship-generated Garbage.
Even Garbage that is not generated by ship's complement has to be accorded the same treatment, for example, that left around on deck by stevedores.
The "Chief Officer" is the person responsible for garbage management on board.
A Garbage Record Book shall be maintained & records kept for Two years.
Ships may be equipped with incinerators, compactors, commiters, or other garbage processing devices onboard.
This type of equipment has a number of benefits:
- makes disposal of certain types of garbage possible at sea
- reduces space required for storage on board
- makes it easier to offload garbage at a port.
Garbage should be processed under the following categories:-
plastic
- dunnage or packing materials
- ground paper products, rags, glass, metal, bottles, etc.
-
food waste
- waste from incineratorAnnex I (Cargo residues), Annex II (Noxious liquid substances) and Annex III (Harmful substances in packed form)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Garbage containing heavy metals (used in coatings, paints, packaging, etc.)
- Refined petroleum products containing halogen compounds
-
batteries and used chemical solutions.
Shipboard incinerators installed on or after 1 January 2000 are required to comply with IMO specification MEPC 76 (40).
Existing incinerators installed before 1 January 2000 are acceptable provided they are type approved in accordance with MEPC 59 (33).
Existing incinerators that are not type approved may still be used, however they must not be used for the incineration of Polyvinyl Chlorides (PVCs)
Incineration of the following is prohibited in all incinerators:
- Annex I (Cargo residues),
- Annex II (Noxious liquid substances)
- and Annex III (Harmful substances in packed form)
-
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
-
Garbage containing heavy metals (used in coatings, paints, packaging, etc.)
-
Refined petroleum products containing halogen compounds.
To ensure a quick transfer of ship garbage to port reception facilities, ships should make arrangements for garbage reception in advance.
Garbage to be disposed of at port may need long-term storage.
Garbage, which can be discharged overboard, may need short-term storage.
Garbage should be stored in a way that avoids health and safety hazards.
Sufficient storage space and equipment should be supplied (cans, drums, bags, other containers). If space is limited, vessel operators are encouraged to install compactors or incinerators.
Food waste should be stored in tightly covered containers.
Related articles
- Marpol annex I - Preventing pollution by oil -Notes on Oily Water Separators
-
Marpol Annex II -Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk
-
Marpol annex III -Pollution by other harmful substances & harmful packaged goods
- Marpol annex IV - Prohibition on Sewage Discharge
-
Marpol annex V - Pollution by garbage
-
Marpol annex VI - Pollution by air
-
Prohibition on use of harmful (TBT) anti-fouling paints
-
Pollution by ballast water
-
Prevention of pollution while carrying out overboard maintenance
-
Environment friendly purchasing
-
Environmental awareness
-
Burning of heavy fuel oil & diesel oil - Environmental impacts
Preventing air pollution various guideline:
Safety equipments check points on board cargo ships
Garbage management plan for cargo ships
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