Directive (EU) 2019/883 on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships

What it is

to better protect the marine environment by reducing discharges from ships at sea. PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure on an equal footing with the Council BACKGROUND: reducing pollution in the seas is an important field of EU action in maritime transport. This was reiterated in the Commission Communication on the EU maritime transport policy until 2018, which calls for zero-waste from maritime traffic. The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Gesine MEISSNER (ALDE, DE) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 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. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report. The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows. Scope : Members propose including in the scope of the Directive waste from ship repair activities and ballast water management according to the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention entered into force on September 2017. Definitions : Members called for a more generic definition of ‘waste from ships’, in relation to the relevant Annexes to MARPOL, including cargo residues, which is generated during the service of a ship or of a fixed or floating platform, or during loading, unloading, cleaning and ship repair operations, including sediments from cleaning or repair of ballast tanks. Green ship : Members clarify the ‘green ship’ concept to mean a ship designed, operated and ultimately recycled in an environmentally sustainable way. In general, Members stressed the need for awareness-raising activities and positive incentives in the field of producing less waste on board. Small ports : Members expressed concern about the situation in small ports, risking to face considerable difficulties, because of limited resources available in terms of personnel, structure, organisation etc. In order not to impose a disproportionate administrative burden, very small ports should be exempted from putting up a waste management plan and issuing waste receipts. Delivery of waste from ships : the amended text stated that the discharge of plastics, including synthetic ropes, synthetic fishing nets, plastic garbage and incinerator ashes from plastic products, shall be prohibited, except in certain circumstances laid down in the Directive. The master of a fishing vessel calling at a Union port shall report within 24 hours to the competent authority of its flag Member State any losses of fishing gear. If it cannot be established that adequate facilities are available in the next port of call, or the next port of call is unknown, the Member State shall require the ship to deliver, before departure, all…

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