WRITTEN QUESTION E-2246/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Limited use of harbour waste collection facilities as a result of continuing dumping of ship's waste at sea.
Date: 2001-07-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, EU control, harbour installation, pollution from ships, ports policy, vessel, waste disposal, waste management

C 93 E/86

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2002

The Commission has identified, following the suggestion of Member States, the ‘Corporación de Desarrollo
y Paz del Magdalena Medio’, a well respected local non-governmental organisation, as the main executing
body of the project. This organisation has been involved in the design of the project.

For the monitoring of the projects, the Commission will apply the regular monitoring system employed in
the external co-operation of the Community.

(2002/C 93 E/105)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2246/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 July 2001)

Subject: Limited use of harbour waste collection facilities as a result of continuing dumping of ship’s waste

at sea

1.
Can the Commission confirm the claim made in the annual report of the Dutch group of waste
companies Holding AVR that of the approximately 30 000 ocean-going vessels berthing at the port of
Rotterdam each year only 7 % deliver household waste to the Watco or AVR facilities?

Can the Commission also confirm the claim made in this annual report that only 1 % of the water/oil

2.
mixture from engine rooms and only 3 % of fuel oil residues are delivered to these installations?

3.
Does the Commission share my fear that these figures for Rotterdam are extremely worrying as they
generally concern very large ships that put in at only one main port per continent and it is therefore not
possible for them to have delivered their waste earlier at a neighbouring harbour?

Does the Commission share my assumption that waste which is not delivered ends up in the sea? If

4.
not, where does it end up?

5. What is the Commission’s assessment of the chances of economic survival of port waste collection
facilities if they are being used to a limited extent because a large proportion of the expected waste is
being dumped at sea?

6. What changes does the Commission expect in this area in the coming years, not least as a result of
the conciliation concluded in September 2000 between the Council and Parliament on ship-generated
waste and cargo residues?

On the basis of the measures laid down on that occasion, how long does the Commission anticipate

7.
it will take before 100 % of waste is delivered to port reception facilities?

In the Commission’s opinion, what further measures are required to achieve the targeted 100 %

8.
delivery speedily in practice?

Source: Rotterdams Dagblad of 7.7.2001.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(23 October 2001)

Obtaining exact data on the extent of waste disposal by ships is complicated by the absence of reliable
information on on-board waste management while ships are at sea. According to the Commission’s
information, which corresponds to that quoted by the Honourable Member, only a minor proportion of
the estimated total waste generated by ships is delivered ashore. Some discharges of waste into the sea are
permitted under the Marpol 73/78 Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78)), depending on
the rate and quantities of discharge as well as on the type of waste and the location of the ship. However,
it must be assumed that a considerable amount of the ‘missing’ ship-generated waste and cargo residues
enter the seas by means of illegal discharges.

18.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 93 E/87

including tank-cleaning
The Commission is greatly concerned about operational ship-source pollution,
operation in Community waters. Various international measures regarding construction and operation of
oil tankers (mainly through the Marpol 73/78 Convention) have significantly reduced the need for and
benefits of discharge of cargo residues at sea during the last decades. The application of these international
rules are controlled in Community ports through port State control under Council Directive 95/21/EC of
19 June 1995 concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in
the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution
prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (port State control) (1).

However, the Commission considered that additional measures were needed in order to stop the discharges
of oil and other substances at sea. For this reason, it made in 1998 a proposal for a Directive on port
reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues (2). The Directive 2000/59/EC of the
Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2000 on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste
and cargo residues-Commission declaration (3), which was adopted by the Parliament and the Council in
November 2000, introduces a number of requirements on both ports and ships to ensure that adequate
facilities are available in all Community ports and that they are utilised by ships visiting those ports. The
Directive shall be implemented by all Member States by 28 December 2002 at the latest.

By providing rules on reception facilities, waste management planning, as well as various obligations on
ships to deliver waste ashore and to pay for the costs, the directive is likely to significantly reduce the
benefits of discharging waste at sea. The directive also introduces an obligation for ships to notify the port
of on-board quantities of wastes and residues. This, coupled with port-based checks and appropriate
sanctions, will greatly improve the possibilities to control compliance with the international rules.
Therefore, the Commission is confident that as from 2002, the quantities of waste delivered to European
port reception facilities will strongly increase and as a consequence the number of illegal discharges at sea
will be strongly reduced.

The directive also provides for a continuous evaluation and review of the Community waste delivery
regime, with a view to ensuring that it meets its objective, which is to eliminate illegal discharges of ship-
generated waste and cargo residues into the sea.

(1) OJ L 157, 7.7.1995.
(2) OJ C 271, 31.8.1998.
(3) OJ L 332, 28.12.2000.

(2002/C 93 E/106)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2252/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 July 2001)

Subject: Environmental impact of the construction of the Aposelemi Dam in Crete

A joint decision of the Ministry of the Environment, Regional Planning and Public Works and the Ministry
of Economic Affairs announced the compulsory expropriation of an area of 240 hectares in the Langada
area, Chersonissos Irakliou, Crete for the construction of the Aposelemi Dam which, according to the
original studies, will hold 30 000 000 m3 of water per year.

The value of this project is being disputed by a committee of local inhabitants, quoting studies by the
Geology department at the University of Patras and other scientific bodies which emphasise the adverse
environmental and cultural impact this project will have, such as the destruction of the traditional village
of Sfendili, the abundant flora and fauna, local farms and the local microclimate, while the final figure
would be 20 000 000 m3 of water a year short of the forecasts.

Has the Commission asked for this project to be included in the CSF? If so, can it assure us that the
environmental studies considered all the aspects of the problem and looked closely at any alternative
solutions?