SPECIAL AREA

Standard practice in regards to the disposal of ship generated garbage


What are the garbage special areas ? :

The Special Areas designated under MARPOL Annex V are :-

Mediterranean Sea

Black Sea

Baltic Sea

Red Sea

North Sea

Gulfs Area

Antarctic Area ( S of 60o South)

Wider Caribbean region including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea

(a) The Mediterranean Sea area means the Mediterranean Sea proper including the gulfs and seas therein with the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea constituted by the 41?N parallel and bounded to the west by the Straits of Gibraltar at the meridian 5-36W.
b) The Baltic Sea area means the Baltic Sea proper with the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland and the entrance to the Baltic Sea bounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57-44.8N.

(c) The Black Sea area means the Black Sea proper with the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea constituted by the parallel 41-N.

(d) The Red Sea area means the Red Sea proper including the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba bounded at the south by the rhumb line between Ras si Ane (12-28.5N, 43-19.6E) and Husn Murad (12-40.4N, 43-30.2E).

(e) The Gulfs area means the sea area located north-west of the rhumb line between Ras al Hadd (22-30N, 59-48E) and Ras al Fasteh (25-04N, 61-25E).

(f) The North Sea area means the North Sea proper including seas therein with the boundary between :

(i) the North Sea southwards of latitude 62-N and eastwards of longitude 4-W ;

(ii) the Skagerrak, the southern limit of which is determined east of the Skaw by latitude 57-44.8N ; and

(iii) the English Channel and its approaches eastwards of longitude 5-W and northwards of latitude 48-30N.

(g) The Antarctic area means the sea area south of latitude 60-S.

(h) The Wider Caribbean Region, means the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea proper including the bays and seas therein and that portion of the Atlantic Ocean within the boundary constituted by the 30-N parallel from Florida eastward to 77-30W meridian, thence a rhumb line to the intersection of 20-N parallel and 59-W meridian, thence a rhumb line to the intersection of 7-20N parallel and 50-W meridian, thence a rhumb line drawn south-westerly to the eastern boundary of French Guiana.


PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE SEA AREAS.

When an area is approved as a particularly sensitive sea area (PSSA), as would be known from the chart, the vessel shall comply with the relevant instructions when intending to pass through it.



Note:
The Chief Officer should ensure that all waste is stored in a safe and hygienic manner. Food waste and associated garbage which may decompose during storage should be sealed in airtight bags (but biodegradable unless being landed)

Disinfection and pest control, both preventive and remedial , should be carried out regularly in garbage storage areas.

It is of vital importance that all garbage is stored in covered, leak proof containers for the sake of hygiene, safety and to avoid penalty in port.

Although sea disposal is possible consistent with Annex V, discharge of garbage to port reception facilities should be given first priority ( and receipt obtained)

Summary of At-sea garbage disposal

(to be posted at major garbage collection centres)



*Comminuted or ground garbage must be able to pass through a screen with a mesh size no larger than 25mm.

** When garbage is mixed with other harmful substances having different disposal or discharge requirements the more stringent requirements shall apply.

***When discharging cargo residue (including cargo residue mixed with cleaning water), the start and stop times of operation must be entered in the Garbage Log Book.

Marine Pollution by garbage [ Marpol annex V ]

The impact of Garbage Pollution in the marine environment is more than Aesthetic. Other than spoiling coastlines, it causes severe harm to marine life by ensnaring or ingestion, amongst other things.

The Master shall ensure that shipboard garbage is disposed in accordance with MARPOL 73/78: Annex V.

Annex V totally prohibits the disposal of plastics anywhere into the sea, and severely restricts discharges of other Garbage from ships into coastal waters and "Special Areas".

Garbage Management Plan

A Garbage Management Plan issued to each ship. It details the procedures for collection, segregation, processing, storage and disposal of all kinds of ship generated garbage.

Even garbage that is not generated by ships complement has to be accorded the same treatment, for example, that left around on deck by stevedores.

The Chief Officer is the person responsible for garbage management on board. A Garbage Record Book shall be maintained & records kept for Two years.


Marine Environment -prevention of pollution by oil - Marpol annex-I

An Oil Spill harms both the earths ecosystem and the economy. With large numbers of people living and depending on coastal areas for fishing and tourism throughout the world, the consequences of oil spills are very serious and so are the ensuing penalties. The fate, behavior and environmental effects of spilled oil can vary, depending upon the type and amount of material spilled.

In general, lighter refined petroleum products such as diesel oil and gasoline are more likely to mix in the water column and are more toxic to marine life, but tend to evaporate more quickly and do not persist long in the environment.

Heavier crude or fuel oil, while of less immediate toxicity, can remain on the water surface or stranded on the shoreline for much longer.

Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) gives comprehensive advice on actions to be taken in event of an oil pollution accident.

Oil Pollution Prevention on board is achieved through:

a) Use of Oil Filtering Equipment in machinery spaces of all ships

b) Use of ODMCS (Oil Discharge Monitoring & Control System) on Tankers

c) Incineration of Oily waste and Sludge (and also their shore disposal)



The correct filling of oil handling records is described in
Procedures for Oil Record Book entry
Procedures for Oil Record Book entry in Machinery Space
Procedures for cargo record in Tankers oil record book



Other precautions to prevent oil pollution include but are not limited to:

1) Structural safeguards, for example double hull, bunker tank swash bulkheads on certain ships, etc

2) Loading, carriage and discharge of oil cargo as per Manual

3) Handling of F.O. and D.O as per Manual

4) Keeping deck scuppers plugged in port at all times

5) Regular inspection of oil piping and associated equipment / structures

6) Extreme care in handling and disposal of any kind of oil, like incineration of used cooking oil from galley

7) Regular training of crew in oil pollution drills and in keeping machinery and other equipment free of any oil leakage

When Oily sludge / oily water from E/R is disposed off to shore reception facilities as necessary, receipt is to be obtained and filed in the Oil Record Book. Oily sludge may also be incinerated on board, at sea.


Pollution by air [ Marpol annex VI ]

Every vessel shall prevent air pollution by complying with the MARPOL Annex-VI and any regional laws and regulations.

Emission means any release of substances subject to control by Annex VI from ships into the atmosphere or sea.

SOX Emission Control Area (SECA) means an area where the adoption of Special mandatory measures for SOx emissions from ships is required to reduce and control air pollution from SOx.

Ozone-depleting substances on ships would likely include Halon and certain refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons etc.

Following are the main sources of marine pollution by air and their Prevention procedure:

Funnel Emissions

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)Emissions

Sulfur Oxides (SOx)Emissions

Incinerator

Cargo vapours, Ozone depleting substances, Co2 Emissions