From July 2000 ships in the Baltic Sea region will be required to dispose of their ship-generated waste in port before setting off. The aim of the rule is to reduce significantly the amount of oily waste and other waste discharges into the Baltic Sea. “The aim was to eliminate discharge of all waste from all ships,” Mrs Brusendorff, maritime secretary at the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (Helcom), told edie. How successful the rule proves will be assessed by comparing data from aerial monitoring flights taken before and after the new waste regulation is in place.
Come July 2000, “each time a ship enters a port it will pay a fee whether or not it uses the waste reception facilities,” said Brusendorff. By removing any special fees for the use of ports’ waste facilities Helcom hopes to create an incentive to end illegal discharges.
The specific strategy to target oily waste discharges was adopted by Helcom in 1996 and it forms part of the larger, 20 year Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action Programme. The Programme began implementation in 1993 and will continue until 2012.