BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

types and amounts of wastes are generated by the
different categories of ships and industry.
A better knowledge of the size and nature of the waste
stream allows a more accurate prediction of the types and
size of such future facilities. Temporary facilities are
also a useful way for management and operational staff to
gain experience in waste handling, with public relations,
industry liaison and ship-shore co-ordination.
Despite the immediate relief given by temporary solutions, it
is important that they should be seen as a first step, leading
on to more permanent measures.
It is the responsibility of the government to implement MARPOL
73/78, once it has been ratified. Subsequently, the actual
provision of waste reception services can be carried out by
private companies (for which this may provide a business
opportunity) or by a public enterprise (under governmental
responsibility).
Development of an inter-port strategy
There may be situations where specific factors may make an
inter-port strategy for port reception facilities appropriate.
In such a strategy, several ports make a joint effort to
provide reception and treatment facilities. Such a strategy
may be applicable on two levels:
a regional level, in which case ports in
neighbouring countries co-operate;
a local level, where ports in one country cooperate.
Factors which may lead to such a concerted action include the
quantities of waste received, costs, land requirements for
disposal facilities, and/or types of treatment and disposal
required. For example, the quantities of hazardous wastes
usually tend to be relatively small whereas the level of
expertise and treating costs to deal with the wastes are
relatively high. Thus, the provision of an incinerator in each
port may be difficult to justify, but a central facility
serving more than one port could prove viable. Therefore, in
the majority of developing economies an inter-port strategy
can be a cost-effective solution.
Basically, an inter-port strategy implies that in all ports
wastes can be received, which are subsequently transported to
a central treatment plant. (N.B.: the option in which specific
ports are not able to receive wastes violates MARPOL. However,
this option can be applied as a first start of a programme,
and it may be useful for those regions where there are
networks of shipping lines making regular calls to certain
ports along national or regional coastal areas).
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