HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 19/13
Adopted 26 March 1998 having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ASHORE HANDLING OF SHIP-GENERATED WASTES
THE COMMISSION,
RECALLING that one of the goals of the Baltic Strategy for Port Reception Facilities for Ship-generated Wastes and Associated Issues is to highlight the need for developing an environmentally sound treatment of ship-generated wastes subsequent to their reception in facilities ashore, as a part of the waste management system of the Contracting Parties,
RECALLING ALSO HELCOM Recommendation 19/7 concerning amendments to Annex IV of the Helsinki Convention (mandatory delivery to a port reception facility of all wastes which are not allowed to be discharged into the sea in the Baltic Sea Area in accordance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78) ),
RECALLING FURTHER HELCOM Recommendation 19/12 containing guidelines for the development of management plans for ship-generated wastes in ports,
NOTING that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed a Comprehensive Manual on Port Reception Facilities,
CONSCIOUS of the intensive traffic of ships in the Baltic Sea Area and of the large amount of wastes discharged by ships to ashore reception facilities,
BEING AWARE that appropriate ashore treatment of wastes is one of the prerequisites for protection of the marine environment against pollution from such sources,
RECOMMENDS that the Governments of the Contracting Parties shall apply the attached Guidelines concerning basic principles of ashore handling of ship-generated wastes,
REQUESTS the Governments of the Contracting Parties to report on the implementation of this Recommendation in accordance with the reporting format on the implementation of the Baltic Strategy for Port Reception Facilities for Ship-generated Wastes and Associated Issues.
ATTACHMENT
Guidelines concerning basic principles of ashore handling of ship-generated wastes
General principles applicable to ashore handling of wastes
Waste treatment should be carried out in a planned, consistent, and systematical manner, licensed or otherwise formally approved and supervised by competent authorities.
Waste reduction and management should be based on the widely recognized hierarchy:
* avoidance and minimization of waste generation
* reuse or material recovery of wastes
* energy recovery of wastes
* environmentally sound and safe disposal of wastes
Waste reduction, recovery and final disposal should be firmly based on the principles of best available technology (BAT) and best environmental practice (BEP).
Wastes should be handled by a competent and trained staff.
Waste reception and treatment should be recorded in a way which provides appropriate information for the competent authorities.
Treatment and final disposal of ship-generated wastes will be considered in accordance with the general principles and requirements described above and in line with the treatment and disposal of other wastes having the same characteristics. Permit conditions are to be equal to those of other waste facilities.
Treatment of wastes in the port
Oil and noxious substances
Oily wastes and other hazardous wastes must be recovered, finally treated or disposed of in accordance with the requirements of the competent authorities.
Garbage (solid wastes)
Ports should provide reception of separated waste fractions from ships to the extent which the local/regional waste management system accepts. Where ships are charged for waste reception, the reception of separated wastes (against unseparated) should be strongly encouraged by economic incentives.
In special events such as an epidemic in the previous ports of call of the ship, special sanitary precautions may be ordered based on a case by case consideration.
Sewage
Sewage from the ships should be discharged to or transported to a municipal sewage treatment plant.
In special events such as an epidemic in the previous ports of call of the ship, special sanitary precautions may be ordered based on a case by case consideration.
Treatment and final disposal of wastes outside the port
Treatment and final disposal of ship-generated wastes should generally be integrated with other waste treatment. Separate treatment or recovery of ship-generated wastes is justified only in special cases such as noxious substances endangering treatment of other wastes. Treatment and facilities for final disposal must be designed so as to have sufficient capacity to receive ship-generated wastes without any operational disturbances whatsoever.
Information services
Ships should be given instructions on how to avoid generation of unnecessary wastes, how to separate wastes and how to keep hazardous wastes apart from non-hazardous wastes. Ships should also be well informed of local waste management practices and fees.