Noxious liquid substances carried in bulk in parcel tankers, dry bulk carriers or in portable containers. Generated by passengers and crew. Originating from the crew and passengers, the maintenance of the ship, cargo and fishing activities. The reception of oily wastes from vessels requires a facility that can remove the water from the received waste and then dispose of the resulting oils. Where there is an adjacent oil refinery or oil recycling plant this is usually not a problem, but where no such facilities exist disposing of oil can be very difficult.
Garbage is simpler to manage.
A serious problem exists in ports where the adjacent municipality has no proper solid waste disposal system, quite a common situation. The port may be faced with the installation of a sewage treatment plant if local authorities will not permit discharge into the municipal system or there is no system available. Most developing countries are not trading in bulk noxious substances, so the receipt of chemicals is not a major problem. The major issue is the ultimate fate of the waste. Most developing countries have foreign exchange difficulties and thus financing port reception facilities which require imported equipment, materials and expertise, poses a problem.