On 9 April 2019, the Council of the European Union adopted a Directive on port reception facilities for the delivery and management of waste from ships. The new Directive, already approved by the Parliament at first reading on 13 March, is part of the EU Circular Economy Package, which proposes to reduce marine litter by 30% by 2020 for the ten most common types of litter found on beaches, as well as for fishing gear found at sea.

In light of the recent scientific studies providing evidence of how discharges of waste from ships pose an increasing threat to the marine environment and produce devastating effects on human health, the Directive aims at ensuring the smooth operation of maritime traffic by improving the availability of adequate port reception facilities and increasing their delivery of waste. 

All the ships calling at or operating within a port of a Member State, irrespective of their flag, are subject to the current legislation, which tackles all waste, including the one collected in nets during fishing operations.An appropriate waste reception and handling plan must be in place and implemented for each port, and Member States shall ensure the availability of port reception facilities adequate to meet the need of the ships normally using the port.

The new rules envisage either incentive and enforcement measures, establishing a targeted inspection regime of digital reporting of waste notification and waste receipt information, as well as cost recovery systems through the collection of a fee from ships. 

Sara Capruzzi