News

DECEMBER 2016

MODIFICATION TO ANNEX OF STATEMENT OF KINDS AND AMOUNTS OF SHIPS’ WASTES

The Royal Decree 1381/2002 of December 20^th which regulates the discharge of waste to the sea generated by vessels and by cargo wastes and which prohibits illicit discharges from vessels calling to Spanish Ports, in order to protect the marine environment, has been modified. This modification was generated as a consequence of some innovations introduced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), that through Resolution MEPC.201 (62) modified the V Annex of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution (MARPOL), introducing a new and more detailed categorization regarding wastes. This Annex V revised by MARPOL came into force on January 1^st 2013.

Furthermore, in order to improve the regulations established by Directive 2000/59/CE which aims at reducing the discharge of wastes generated by vessels to the sea and cargo wastes, the Directive 2015/2087 has included in the Annex II information about the kind and amount of wastes generated by the vessels that have really been delivered in the Port facilities in the last Port.

The reason for this inclusion is that the exact information about the amounts of wastes are of great importance to exactly calculate the storage capacity destined to the wastes on board each vessel, given that, at the same time, being able to calculate the correct storage capacity is a previous requirement to authorizing the vessels heading to their next calling Port without having delivered their wastes, and also to adequately select the vessels for inspection. This would improve the inspections carried out and would be a good contribution towards an effective management of the maritime traffic by reducing the calling period in Ports. Likewise, the systematic collection of exact information about the wastes delivery will enhance a better statistical analysis of the waste flow patterns in Ports and will in consequence simplify the information and surveillance system stated in article 12 of complementary measures, of Royal Decree 1381/2002.

The above referred innovations, by requiring more data to be informed by the Captain of the vessels about the category of wastes, such as the kind and amount delivered in the previous calling Port, have made necessary to modify the Annex II of Royal Decree 1381/2002, that contains a Form with which this information has to be communicated, so that it reflects the new required information.

Among the changes introduced, we find a reclassification of solid wastes that previously used to be organic, plastic, metallic and others; and now are further detailed as for example: food wastes, domestic wastes (like paper, glass, metals, bottles, crockery, cloths), kitchen oil, incinerator ashes, exploitation wastes and dead animals bodies. Before, dirty water was included within the category of liquid harmful substances, and now these are included in cargo residues. On the other hand, the point 5 about substances of Annex VI MARPOL include residues that affect the ozone layer and cleaning exhaust gases residues, that were not included before.

This new Form came into force on December 9th 2016.

The modified Form can be read in the following link:  Annex II