Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
controlling pollution from the shipping sector and it regulates types and quantities
of waste that ships may discharge into the sea, taking into account the ecological
sensitivity of different sea areas. The Convention has six annexes, each dealing with
a speciic type of potential pollutant from ships:
• AnnexIcoveringoilandoilywastes,hasbeeninforcesince1983,
• AnnexIIcoveringnoxioussubstancesinbulk,hasbeeninforcesince1987,
• AnnexIIIcoveringharmfulsubstancesinpackagedform,hasbeeninforcesince
1992,
• AnnexIVcoveringsewage,hasbeeninforcesince2003,
• AnnexVcoveringgarbage(thatmaybecomemarinelitter),hasbeeninforce
since 1988, and
• AnnexVIcoveringairpollutionfromships,hasbeeninforcesinceMay2005.
Annex V (an optional annex) has been ratiied by 116 countries, the merchant leet
tonnage of which represents 95.1% of the world's total. This Annex deals with
different types of garbage and speciies the distances from land and the way in which
they may be disposed of. One of the very important regulations set out in Annex
V is the complete ban on the dumping of all types of plastic into the sea. Annex V
covers, in principle, all kinds of vessels, including ishing vessels and leisure craft,
and requires all ships of 400 gross tonnes and above, or ships certiied to carry more
than 15 persons, to develop and follow a written waste management plan.
The North Sea and adjacent areas, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black
Sea, the Wider Caribbean, the Red Sea, the Gulf Area, and Antarctica have been
designated as Special Areas with regard to Annex V. Annex V of MARPOL deals
with regulation for the prevention of pollution by garbage by ships. The special areas
as mentioned in Annex V of MARPOL are sea areas where for recognised technical
reasons, relating to the oceanographic and ecological conditions and the particular
character of trafic, such as heavy marine trafic, low water exchange, extreme ice
states, endangered marine species, and so on, the adoption of special mandatory
methods for the prevention of marine pollution by garbage, is required.
The effectiveness of ships to comply with the discharge requirements of MARPOL
depends largely upon the availability of adequate port reception facilities, especially
within special areas. Hence, Annex V also obliges the Governments to ensure provision
of adequate reception facilities at ports and terminals for reception of garbage without
causing undue delay to ships, and according to the needs of the ships using them.
