Marine Plastic litterMARPOL Annex V and the Action Plan to address marine plastic litter from ships
8 September 2020
Loukas KontogiannisMarine Environment Division
2MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
The International Maritime Organization (IMO)
IMO
Established in 1948
In 2019: 174 Member States &
3 associated members, 81 consultative
NGOs and 64 IGOs
Specialized agency of the United
Nations allowing for close cooperation
within the UN-family
+/- 300 staff of over 50 nationalities
5 regional offices, incl. 3 in Africa (Côte
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya)
IMO’s mission is to ensure safe, secure,
clean, efficient and sustainable shipping
on cleaner oceans
3MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
IMO legislative map – main instruments
IMO Instruments
Pollution Response
Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and
Cooperation (OPRC) Convention and
OPRC-HNS Protocol
Pollution Control
MARPOL Conv, London
Conv/Protocol, Ballast Water
Management Conv, Anti Fouling
Systems (AFS), Hong Kong
Convention on Ship Recycling
Safety
SOLAS
COLREG
STCW
LL
SAR
Compensation
Civil Liability (and the associated
IOPC Fund Conventions)
Universal Conventions
Vienna, Montreal,
Stockholm, UNFCC, etc.
UNCLOS
Regional Agreements Regional LawsNATIONAL
LEGISLATION
5MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Sources of pollution from ships
Exhaust Gases (SOx, NOx,
GHG, etc.) from
- main and auxiliary engines
- boilers
- incineratorsEmissions of
Freon/Halon gases
Evaporation from
cargo (VOCs)
Sewage &
Garbage
Oil spills
Loss of cargo
Loss by accidents –
ship cargoes & lifeBilge-water
disposal/ tank
washing
Emissions from
paint solutions
Ballast water
discharge
© Damen shipyards
6MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships (MARPOL)
• MARPOL Convention = main international convention covering prevention of
operational or accidental pollution of the marine environment by ships
Annexes
I & II
Annex
III
Annex
IV
Annex
V
Annex
VI
Oil and
Noxious Liquid
Substances
Harmful
Substances
Carried at Sea in
Packaged Form
Sewage from
Ships
Garbage from
Ships
Air Pollution
from Ships
In Force In Force In Force
In force since
31 December
1988In Force
158 Parties 148 Parties 143 Parties 153 Parties 95 Parties
99% of World
Tonnage
98% of World
Tonnage
96% of World
Tonnage
99% of World
Tonnage
97% of World
Tonnage
7MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
MARPOL Annex V
MARPOL Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by Garbage
from Ships
• Prohibits the discharge of all types of garbage from ships
into the sea except in cases explicitly permitted
• Unless, expressly provided otherwise, Annex V applies to
all ships
• Garbage includes all kinds of food, domestic and
operational waste, all plastics, cargo residues, incinerator
ashes, cooking oil, fishing gear, and animal carcasses
generated during the normal operation of the ship
(‘operational discharges’)
• Contains a complete ban imposed on the disposal into
the sea of all forms of plastics
8MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Implementation and enforcement of MARPOL (Annex V):
who is responsible for what?
Flag States
• Ensuring that ships flying the flag of that State are in
compliance with the MARPOL regulations (flag State control)
Port States
• Inspection of ships calling their ports (port State control),
and provide for sanctions in case of violations
• Putting in place adequate port reception facilities for the
delivery of ship generated waste
Coastal States
• Prohibit violations of MARPOL’s discharge requirements
(‘illegal discharges’), and establish sanctions for any violation
that occurs in the country’s territorial sea and Exclusive
Economic Zone
• Surveillance at sea to control illegal discharges
Credit: Francisco Blaha
Credit: FAO
9MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
MARPOL: relevant obligations
MARPOL Annex V: Regulation 10
• 10.1: Every ship of 12m or more in length overall and
fixed or floating platforms shall display placards which
notify the crew and passengers of the discharge
requirements
• 10.2: Every ship of 100 Gross Tonnage and above, and
every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more persons,
shall carry a garbage management plan
• 10.3: Every ship of 400 Gross Tonnage and above, and
every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more persons
shall be provided with a Garbage Record Book
• 10.6: The accidental loss or discharge of fishing
gear […], which poses a significant threat to the marine
environment or navigation shall be reported to the State
whose flag the ship is entitled to fly, and where the loss
or discharge occurs within waters subject to the
jurisdiction of a coastal State, also to that coastal State
10MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Port reception facilities for the delivery of ship generated
waste
Parties’ obligations
• Ensure the provision of reception facilities adequate to meet the needs of ships using
their ports and terminals (incl. fishing vessels)
• Government to require port authorities / terminal operators to provide waste reception
facilities
• Most ports need reception facilities for garbage (Annex V), and many for oily residues
• Fishing ports may need additional facilities to receive fishing gear
• Inspect and license port reception facilities, as appropriate
11MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
IMO Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter
IMO plays a key role in tackling the ocean plastic challenge:
• To further enhance its commitment to reducing marine plastic litter from ships, IMO
adopted in October 2018 the IMO Action Plan to address marine plastic litter
from ships (Resolution MEPC.310(73))
Source: seatrade-cruise.com
12MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Resolution MEPC.310(73) – Action plan to address marine
plastic litter from ships
Action plan aims to enhance existing policy and regulatory frameworks and introduce
new supporting measures, such as:
• Consider measures to enhance implementation of MARPOL Annex V
• Consider making IMO ship identification number mandatory for fishing vessels over a
certain size
• Further investigate logging of the identification number for each item of fishing gear on
board a fishing vessel
• Consider how to enhance reporting on the discharge or accidental loss of fishing gear by
the flag State to IMO
• Consider reviewing fishing vessel personnel training to ensure that all receive basic training
on marine environment awareness oriented on marine plastic litter including abandoned,
lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear
• Consider how to enhance adequate port reception facilities for the delivery of fishing gear
http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/20-marinelitteractionmecp73.aspx
13MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Difficulties in implementation of MARPOL Annex V on
fishing vessels: possible solutions
Port State Control (PSC) often does/can not inspect (domestic) fishing vessels
• IMO to encourage port State control MoU’s to develop PSC procedures that include
fishing vessels
• Promotion of the implementation of the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures to
Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
Lack of awareness on-board
• Better application/translation of placards, garbage management plans and garbage
record-keeping on small vessels (currently not mandatory for ships under 100 GT)
14MARINE ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Difficulties in implementation of MARPOL Annex V on
fishing vessels: possible solutions
Inadequate port reception facilities
• IMO Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS)
recurrently finds problems with the provision of
adequate port reception facilities under MARPOL:
States to develop Corrective Action Plans
• Consider making the marking of fishing gear
with the IMO Ship Identification Number
mandatory (through MARPOL Annex V), in
cooperation with FAO
• Consider the development of best management
practices for incentives for fishing vessels to
retrieve derelict fishing gear and deliver it to
port reception facilities (‘fishing for litter’)
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