WRITTEN QUESTION E-2246/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 July 2001)

Subject: Limited use of harbour waste collection facilities as a result of continuing dumping of ship's waste at sea

1. Can the Commission confirm the claim made in the annual report of the Dutch group of waste companies Holding AVR that of the approximately 30 000 ocean-going vessels berthing at the port of Rotterdam each year only 7 % deliver household waste to the Watco or AVR facilities?

2. Can the Commission also confirm the claim made in this annual report that only 1 % of the water/oil mixture from engine rooms and only 3 % of fuel oil residues are delivered to these installations?

3. Does the Commission share my fear that these figures for Rotterdam are extremely worrying as they generally concern very large ships that put in at only one main port per continent and it is therefore not possible for them to have delivered their waste earlier at a neighbouring harbour?

4. Does the Commission share my assumption that waste which is not delivered ends up in the sea? If not, where does it end up?

5. What is the Commission's assessment of the chances of economic survival of port waste collection facilities if they are being used to a limited extent because a large proportion of the expected waste is being dumped at sea?

6. What changes does the Commission expect in this area in the coming years, not least as a result of the conciliation concluded in September 2000 between the Council and Parliament on ship-generated waste and cargo residues?

7. On the basis of the measures laid down on that occasion, how long does the Commission anticipate it will take before 100 % of waste is delivered to port reception facilities?

8. In the Commission's opinion, what further measures are required to achieve the targeted 100 % delivery speedily in practice?

Source: Rotterdams Dagblad of 7.7.2001.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(23 October 2001)

Obtaining exact data on the extent of waste disposal by ships is complicated by the absence of reliable information on on-board waste management while ships are at sea. According to the Commission's information, which corresponds to that quoted by the Honourable Member, only a minor proportion of the estimated total waste generated by ships is delivered ashore. Some discharges of waste into the sea are permitted under the Marpol 73/78 Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78)), depending on the rate and quantities of discharge as well as on the type of waste and the location of the ship. However, it must be assumed that a considerable amount of the missing ship-generated waste and cargo residues enter the seas by means of illegal discharges.

The Commission is greatly concerned about operational ship-source pollution, including tank-cleaning operation in Community waters. Various international measures regarding construction and operation of oil tankers (mainly through the Marpol 73/78 Convention) have significantly reduced the need for and benefits of discharge of cargo residues at sea during the last decades. The application of these international rules are controlled in Community ports through port State control under Council Directive 95/21/EC of 19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State control)(1).

However, the Commission considered that additional measures were needed in order to stop the discharges of oil and other substances at sea. For this reason, it made in 1998 a proposal for a Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues(2). The Directive 2000/59/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2000 on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues-Commission declaration(3), which was adopted by the Parliament and the Council in November 2000, introduces a number of requirements on both ports and ships to ensure that adequate facilities are available in all Community ports and that they are utilised by ships visiting those ports. The Directive shall be implemented by all Member States by 28 December 2002 at the latest.

By providing rules on reception facilities, waste management planning, as well as various obligations on ships to deliver waste ashore and to pay for the costs, the directive is likely to significantly reduce the benefits of discharging waste at sea. The directive also introduces an obligation for ships to notify the port of on-board quantities of wastes and residues. This, coupled with port-based checks and appropriate sanctions, will greatly improve the possibilities to control compliance with the international rules. Therefore, the Commission is confident that as from 2002, the quantities of waste delivered to European port reception facilities will strongly increase and as a consequence the number of illegal discharges at sea will be strongly reduced.

The directive also provides for a continuous evaluation and review of the Community waste delivery regime, with a view to ensuring that it meets its objective, which is to eliminate illegal discharges of ship-generated waste and cargo residues into the sea.

(1) OJ L 157, 7.7.1995.

(2) OJ C 271, 31.8.1998.

(3) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.