Waste and port reception facilities.

Abstract

Internationally, shipping, boating and ancillary services are seen as significant contributors to degradation of the marine environment, affecting water quality, habitats and coastal amenity. As a result, it is important to ensure good practice with regard to safety issues when discharging or handling such wastes while vessels are in the port's jurisdiction. The international standards for regulating the prevention of marine pollution through ship generated waste are clearly outlined primarily in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 ("UNCLOS") and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships1973 as amended by the Protocol of 1978 ("MARPOL 73/78"). The proposed study will explore compliance to MARPOL 73/78 Convention's requirement for governments to ensure the provision of adequate port reception facilities capable of receiving ship board residues and mixtures, containing oil, noxious liquids or garbage, without causing undue delay. The paper further reviews the implementation of the Conventions in the European Union and South Africa as it aims to provide a profile of the availability of waste reception facilities to assess their effectiveness in addressing the problem of marine pollution through ship generated waste. It is concluded that a variety of South African legislation is also applicable to marine pollution, but inadequately enforced. Further, that there was a considerable range of legislation intended to protect the North Sea and European waters in general from marine pollution but marine pollution from vessels is still considered to be a significant problem. In conclusion, it is recommended that South Africa should urgently develop effective mechanisms to monitor the enforcement oflegislation adequately.