Page 7 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2019 publication

Spring 2019 European Energy Innovation 7

SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING

show progress in the right direction. Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).3 It the Commission with following up
These efforts have to span a wider includes household items, lighter on changes at the international level.
scope, however, to cover more than forms of toxic waste, restauration Aligning the contents of directive
just conventional plastic waste. materials and plastics. At the same 2005/35 to MARPOL, which provides
time, this directive guarantees that for clear provisions on the types
The next step therefore is to tackle those fishermen whose garbage of wastes concerned and covers
marine litter. While shipping crews is caught as ‘by-catch’ during their the prevention of pollution of
and seafarers are already obliged to fishing runs can deliver this garbage marine environments by ships from
correctly dispose of their litter and to the port free of charge. This will operational or accidental causes, will
waste, more progress needs to be avoid that fishermen throw this effectively strengthen these rules.
made to ensure adequate solutions “passively fished waste” overboard
and positive incentives against again. Lastly, the Port Reception To ensure that discharge bans
illegal discharges in the ocean. My Facility directive incentivises Member are correctly enforced, additional
work in the Transport Committee States to launch a so-called 'Fishing mechanisms such as the monitoring
of the European Parliament and as for Litter' program to financially of the European Maritime Safety
rapporteur on the ‘Directive on port support the disposal of waste picked Agency (EMSA) might be necessary.
reception facilities for the delivery of up during fishing runs. Their cooperation with European
waste from ships´ does just that. It space monitoring systems, such
encompasses two goals, to reduce To tackle fuel and chemical waste as the Copernicus satellite, can pin
the discharges of ship-generated dumping into the ocean, this directive point the location and ship from
waste at sea and to reduce the goes even further, by making sure which an illegal waste discharge can
administrative burden on ports, port that the Commission soon proposes be identified. This work shows that
users and competent authorities, in updated legislation on chemicals achieving sustainability in shipping
an effort to combat pollution. and wastes that are not allowed to and more broadly the sustainable
be discharged at sea, which should development goals, to which the
Concerning what is called ‘leakage’ make the enforcement of discharge European Union among other states
of plastics into our oceans from bans more effective. The Parliament and entities are committed, calls
unconventional locations or means, has enclosed a revision clause for for efforts on all possible levels:
this directive offers three significant Directive 2005/35 on 'ship-source From the individual consumer, to the
and impactful changes.2 Firstly, a pollution and on the introduction of manufacturer and finally to the policy
100% indirect waste fee, which ships penalties for infringements'.4 It tasks makers. l
will automatically have to pay at the
arrival in ports, which means there Gesine Meissner (MEP/ALDE) comes from the German state of
is no financial benefit to illegally Lower Saxony. She is the FDP's delegate for Germany's Northern and
discharge waste instead of bringing Northeastern regions in the European Parliament. She is the liberal
it into the ports for recycling or group's vice-coordinator in the EP's Transport Committee and substitute
adequate disposal. The directive member in the Environment and Industry Committees. Moreover, she is
forces seafarers to deliver all of the president of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Seas, Rivers, Islands
garbage aboard their ship without & Coastal Areas (www.searica.eu/en/) as well as the Special Envoy of the
being limited to maximum amounts President of the European Parliament on Maritime Policy. Maritime and
of waste that can be delivered. transport issues are close to her political heart because of the sectors'
More specifically, this fee concerns immense importance for the future.
those elements which have been
listed in Annex 5 of the International
Convention for the Prevention of

1 (2018). A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. European Commission, 5. Retrieved from: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/
pdf/plastics-strategy-brochure.pdf
2 (2018). Proposal for a directive on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships, repealing Directive 2000/59/EC and amending Directive
2009/16/EC and Directive 2010/65/EU. European Commission.
3 (1973) International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. International Maritime Organization. Retrieved from: http://www.imo.org/en/about/
conventions/listofconventions/pages/international-convention-for-the-prevention-of-pollution-from-ships-(marpol).aspx
4 (2005) Directive 2005/35/EC of the European Parliament and the council of 7 September 2005 on ship-source pollution and on the introduction of penalties
for infringements. Retrieved from: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:255:0011:0021:EN:PDF

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