Stow it don't throw it - Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Stow it
don’t throw it

Stow all garbage onboard
The discharge of garbage from vessels can be just as deadly to marine life as oil or
chemicals. Garbage discharged into the sea is not only illegal, it is not environmentally
friendly and is a socially unacceptable practice.
The discharge of plastics into the sea from vessels has been prohibited since 1988, while
the discharge of other types of wastes has been permitted at various distances seaward
from land, depending on the type of waste involved. This has now changed.
From 1 January 2013, new international laws came into force that prohibits the discharge
of all types of garbage into the sea from vessels of all sizes. This includes yachts, dinghies,
trawlers, fishing, recreational, tugs, ferries, general cargo, and barges amongst others.
It is the responsibility of all seafarers and boat operators to prevent garbage from entering
the sea from their vessels. Information in this booklet provides an overview of garbage and
the new laws.
2

The nature of garbage
Garbage discharged at sea does not just disappear - it becomes marine debris and
persists for months and in some cases, years (as indicated in the following table). Garbage
at sea poses a major pollutant threat to the global marine environment and potentially
causes damage to vessels, harm to humans and can be fatal to marine life.
Time Taken For Objects To Breakdown At Sea
Paper bus ticket
Cotton cloth
Rope (natural fibre)
Woollen cloth
Cigarette Butt
Painted wood
Tin can
Aluminium can
Plastic bottle
2-4 weeks
1-5 months
3-14 months
1 year
1-5 years
13 years
50-100 years
200-500 years
450 years
Source: Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA) & National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Plastics and other synthetic waste including discarded fishing gear, glass and metal are
the main components of marine debris with an estimated seven billion tonnes entering
the world’s oceans annually. Around 100,000 turtles and marine mammals such as
seals, dolphins and whales and one million seabirds die each year due to ingestion and
entanglement of marine debris. Discarded rope and plastic material not only poses a threat
to marine life, it can damage vessels by getting caught in propeller shafts and/or block
water intakes causing major damage resulting in expensive repairs and loss of income. It is
the responsibility of everyone to ensure that no garbage is disposed of into the sea.
3

The law
International laws that regulate the discharge of garbage from vessels are included in the
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (known as MARPOL)
and apply to all vessels of all sizes. Australian laws implement MARPOL and impose
strict controls and substantial fines for polluters. The table below provides an overview
of the international laws. For more detailed guidance regarding the respective discharge
requirements please refer to the text of MARPOL Annex V or to the 2012 Guidelines for the
Implementation of MARPOL Annex V which are available on the AMSA website.
Type of garbage
Food waste comminuted or
ground
Food waste not comminuted
or ground
Cargo residues* either
contained or not contained in
wash water
Cleaning agents and additives*
contained in cargo hold wash
water
Cleaning agents and additives*
in deck and external surfaces
wash water
Carcasses of animals carried
on board as cargo and which
died during the voyage
All other garbage including
plastics, synthetic ropes,
fishing gear, plastic garbage
bags, incinerator ashes,
clinkers, cooking oil, floating
dunnage, lining and packing
materials, paper, rags, glass,
metal, bottles, crockery and
similar refuse
Mixed garbage
Vessels
Discharge permitted ≥3 nm
from the nearest land, en route
and as far as practicable
Discharge permitted ≥12 nm
from the nearest land, en route
and as far as practicable
Discharge permitted ≥12 nm
from the nearest land, en route
and as far as practicable
Discharge permitted
Discharge permitted
Discharge permitted as far
from the nearest land as
possible and en route
Discharge prohibited
* These substances must not be harmful to the marine environment.
Offshore platforms
(more than 12nm from land)
and all vessels within 500m of
such platforms
Discharge permitted
Discharge prohibited
Discharge prohibited
Discharge prohibited
Discharge prohibited
Discharge prohibited
Discharge prohibited
When garbage is mixed with or contaminated by other
substances prohibited from discharge or having different
discharge requirements, the more stringent requirements shall
apply
4

Penalties
Where there is evidence of pollution activity in violation of the laws the maximum fines in
the Australian legislation applicable to the MARPOL Convention are up to $17 million for
companies and $3.4 million for individuals. Commonwealth and State/Northern Territory
legislation applies in all Australian waters including rivers, bays and estuaries.
The severity of fines imposed by the courts takes into account the circumstances of
the violation and seriousness of the type of garbage and the resulting pollution affects.
Recently there have been a number of prosecutions for garbage and littering offences
involving discharging of food waste and plastic in Australian waters resulting in fines up to
$35,000. A list of garbage pollution prosecutions can be found on the AMSA website.
5

Types of garbage
Garbage means all kinds of food wastes, domestic wastes and operational wastes such
as all plastics (including degradable plastics), cargo residues, incinerator ashes, cigarette
butts, deck sweepings, wood, cooking oil, bottles, any paper products including cardboard,
crockery, dunnage, lining and packing materials, rags, metal, crockery, glass, aluminium
tins , fishing gear (line, nets, traps, floats etc), and animal carcasses generated during the
normal operation of a vessel.
All materials that are considered to be waste and are no longer of use onboard the vessel,
need to be disposed of properly at shore facilities. Some of these materials can be recycled
and reused and placed in appropriate bins and/or facilities.
6

Fishing vessels
Fishing vessel operators must comply with the general garbage discharge requirements but
also have an added responsibility related to pollution at sea.
The added responsibility involves accidental discharges or loss of fishing gear such as
trawl, gill and other fishing nets or line scraps that pose significant threat to the marine
environment. This discharge of gear can also create a navigational hazard that may cause
damage and affect the safety of other vessels.
Fishing gear should have degradable panels of natural material to reduce the potential for
entanglement of marine life if the gear is lost. Operators are also encouraged to utilise gear
identification systems to assist recovery and return of lost gear. Fishers are encouraged to
make every effort to retrieve lost gear and other persistent garbage found at sea, if safety
practices allow.
If garbage or fishing gear is accidentally discharged or lost, the circumstances should be
recorded in the vessel’s Official Logbook or Garbage Record Book. If large amounts of
fishing gear are lost, the approximate position and reasons for the loss should be reported
to AMSA’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC - Australia). This allows other vessels to look
out for the lost gear and avoid, or retrieve if practical.
Where available, motherships may provide waste services free of charge to fishing vessels
including receiving recyclable garbage and waste oil for financial benefit, often donated to
community services.
7

Signage required on all vessels >12 metres
All vessels of 12 metres or more in length are required by law to display signs or placards
that provide information about the garbage laws. The signs should be visible in all areas
onboard the vessel where garbage is generated or stored and in full view of crew and
passengers. The wording for the signs should be similar to the following examples. 1
INTERNATIONAL POLLUTION REGULATIONS
MARPOL CONVENTION ANNEX V
DISCHARGE OF GARBAGE INTO THE SEA IS
PROHIBITED
Garbage should be retained on board for discharge at port reception facilities or other services.
Violation of these requirements may result in penalties
Discharge of the following garbage is only permitted while the ship is ‘en route’ and as far as practicable from the nearest land.
FOOD WASTE COMMINUTED through equipment with
More than 3nm from nearest land
particle size no greater than 25mm*
FOOD WASTE that has not been processed
More than 12 nm from nearest land
CARGO RESIDUES not harmful to the marine environment*
CLEANING AGENTS/ADDITIVES from cargo hold, deck and external
surfaces washing water, *not harmful to the marine environment*
ANIMAL CARCASSES
As far from the nearest land as possible
SPECIAL AREAS including ANTARCTIC AREA
Additional restrictions apply.
Refer to MARPOL Annex V
FOOD WASTE COMMUNITED - More than 12 nm from
nearest land or ice shelf
Discharge of introduced avian products PROHIBITED in
Antarctic Area unless incinerated, autoclaved or otherwise
treated to be made sterile.
Garbage can be incinerated in equipment complying with MARPOL Annexes V and VI.
All discharges must be recorded in the Garbage Record Book.
All Seafarers must follow procedures for handling garbage in accordance with the Garbage Management Plan.
Note: Cooking oil is not considered food waste and cannot be discharged into the sea.
*Refer to MARPOL Annex V and guidelines for definition of ‘nearest land’, guidance on the discharge of animal carcasses and
substances harmful to the marine environment.
NOTE: All waste on board a ship entering Australian waters is classified as Biosecurity Risk Material (BRM)
and must not be discharged of into the sea within the 12nm limit.
INTERNATIONAL POLLUTION REGULATIONS
MARPOL CONVENTION, ANNEX V
DISCHARGE OF GARBAGE INTO THE SEA IS
PROHIBITED
• All garbage should be retained on board and disposed at facilities on
land, in port or marina.
• Food waste can be legally discharged at sea provided the vessel is
moving and is more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
• For vessels of 100 gross tonnage and above, refer to the Garbage
Management Plan.
• Fishing and tourist vessels are allowed to release small amounts of food
into the sea for the purpose of fish feeding or tourist operations.
Note: Cooking oil is not considered food waste
and cannot be discharged into the sea
Violations of these requirements may result in penalties.
8
1 Vessel operators can make their own sign or use stickers produced by AMSA and other authorities to assist in meeting
this requirement

Records and plans required on certain vessels
Garbage management plan
Vessels 100 gross tonnage and above, and every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more
persons, and fixed and floating platforms are required to carry a garbage management
plan. The plan must contain procedures for collecting, storing, processing and disposal
of garbage. It should designate the person/persons in charge of carrying out the plan. The
plan must be written in the working language of the vessels crew and all crew must follow
the procedures in that plan. 2
Garbage record book
Vessels 400 gross tonnage and above and those vessels certified to carry 15 or more
people are required to maintain a Garbage Record Book and enter details of every garbage
discharge to shore facilities or permitted discharge at sea in this book. The record book
must be kept onboard for a minimum of two years and be available for inspection by
authorities. 3
2 The format for a garbage management plan is available from the AMSA web site: www.amsa.gov.au/environment/
legislation-and-prevention/garbage-management-plans/
3 Garbage record books can be purchased from AMSA.
9

Managing waste onboard
Vessel operators need to plan ways to reduce the amount of garbage onboard. This can
be done by careful planning on what is taken to sea and will assist to minimise garbage
generation onboard. Using crockery instead of disposable paper cups and plates and
reducing the amount of plastics by using bulk packaging of consumables can assist.
Compacting or crushing garbage will take up less storage space on the vessel until
returning to land and disposing of at shore facilities.
Onboard separation and storage of materials is recommended for reuse or recycling with
delivery to appropriate bins or facilities onshore. Recycling of some materials such as
aluminium cans may have a financial benefit when disposed of at shore facilities
in certain states.
Food waste can be directly discharged into the sea if the discharge occurs at the specified
distance from the nearest land as permitted under the law. If this distance is not reached
during operations, all food waste needs to be stored onboard by either double bagging
and/or freezing (if a freezer is onboard) until it can be disposed of at shore facilities.
THINK REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
10

Shore facilities
Under the international laws there is an obligation upon Australia to provide facilities
to receive all types of waste from vessels. This includes all types of garbage, oil,
chemicals and sewage. Facilities are required to be appropriate and adequate for the
vessel activities in the area. Facilities should be available at marinas, wharves, fishing
cooperatives, berths and ports. The type of facility will range from bins or skips emptied
by local councils or contractors to barge collection services and pump out operations.
If there are no facilities available for the disposal of garbage, the marina/wharf owner
or port authority should be contacted. The state/territory and local officials should also
be notified of any inadequate facilities. Where enough people express concern, it is
reasonable to expect upgrading of services.
More information
For more information on maritime garbage laws and the requirements, contact the local
state marine/port/ transport authority or
Marine Environment Division
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
GPO Box 2181
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Email: eps@amsa.gov.au
See also www.amsa.gov.au
Photographs courtesy of
Kristy Theissling - Penguin picture
Troy Mayne -Turtle picture
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Maritime Safety Queensland
Cynthia Vanderlip - Algalita Marine
Research Foundation
US Center for Marine Conservation
11

You can help
The protection of the marine environment is the responsibility of everyone. Be aware
of the threats to our waterways and oceans and of the serious effects pollutants can
have on the marine environment.
REPORT all illegal discharges of garbage to the local authorities or to AMSA. Be
sure to get the vessel’s name or number, the location gps of the discharge and a
description of the type of garbage discharged. Take photographs or collect the
garbage if possible. This is useful for further investigation and possible prosecution of
the polluters.
If witnessing a vessel polluting, reports can be made to AMSA’s Rescue Coordination
Centre (RCC) in Canberra.
FREECALL: 1800 641 792
Phone: 02 6230 6811
Facsimile: 02 6230 6868
www.amsa.gov.au
AMSA 260 (6/13)