Experts look at how region can navigate to ‘green port’ compliance

The responsible and eco-friendly disposal of maritime waste is an agenda-topping issue for port authorities everywhere – and it’s a matter of particular concern in the Caribbean region, which has been struggling to comply with the requirements of the international marine pollution (MARPOL) convention. In the following two articles, some ideas on how the Caribbean can negotiate its way through to regional compliance are put forward by experts in this field. 

Implementation of MARPOL in the Caribbean

By Alejandro Trillo*

The Caribbean has been designated a MARPOL Special Area since 1991, with garbage discharge requirements coming into force in May 2011. Yet only about a quarter of countries in the region have introduced the minimum legislation to enforce MARPOL. A region-wide enforcement plan is clearly needed.

In 2010 the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization adopted IMO Resolution MEPC.191(60). This resolution established 1 May 2011 as the date for entry into force of the garbage discharge requirements for the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) Special Area under MARPOL Annex V.

A Special Area is defined under MARPOL Annex V as an area for which stringent requirements apply to the discharge of garbage from ships. The WCR was designated as a Special Area under MARPOL Annex V in 1991 but the discharge requirements did not take effect immediately as adequate port reception facilities were not available in all ports within the WCR region.

In May 2017 I was honored to attend the conference ‘Implementing MARPOL in the Caribbean’, organized by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) and WISTA Cayman Islands. The goal of this conference was to bring major stakeholders in the region together on the issue of MARPOL. The presence of key regional stakeholders showed that there is a growing interest in establishing suitable port reception facilities for sustainable waste treatment in the region.

While 86 per cent of Caribbean countries have ratified MARPOL, only an average of 25 per cent have implemented the minimum required legislation to enforce MARPOL in the region. This makes countries particularly vulnerable to maritime accidents and makes it difficult for shipping companies to comply with environmental regulations and environmental standards, thus reducing competitiveness.

Since the first attempt to designate the WCR as a special area, 26 years ago, the region has dramatically increased its relevance in the maritime arena. Today, there are 351 ports, 16 oil refineries, 51 tanker terminals and over 15 different types of ships transiting.

Additionally, the Caribbean has claimed the crown as the world’s top cruise destination, representing 33.7 per cent of the global marketplace.

Challenge

Reality strikes when only a few countries accept oily waste, fewer accept sewage, most accept garbage but with significant restrictions (organic materials, biomedical, hazmats). It becomes a challenge to tackle ship’s waste management when domestic waste management generated inland is a common challenge every day for many islands where the only option is landfill disposal. There is a widespread fear that additional waste from ships will overfill the landfill.

When it comes to more elaborated waste-streams like oily waste (MARPOL Annex I related) or hazmats, the lack of infrastructure is more evident. It is necessary to create a regional plan to enforce MARPOL in order to makes its implementation more feasible. Lack of proper infrastructure close to the ports for treating food-related waste brings a concern that garbage landing will bring sanitary risks that could damage the agriculture sector.

The creation of infrastructure for recycling and treatment of ship-generated waste will help to improve waste management solutions for inland waste generation. If the port reception facilities are delegated to the private sector – as in most ports in the world – clear legislation should be put into place to bring a solid framework for such investments. A regional plan that implements policies for full compliance in the Caribbean, such as Europe’s port compulsory environmental fees, would incentivize proper waste disposal and would increase the economic feasibility of port reception facilities.

*Alejandro Trillo is co-founder of the first MARPOL port reception facilities at 13 ports in Mexico and Argentina. He is a board member of NAMEPA and director for sustainable maritime solutions at Stericycle México.

Green logistics and port reception facilities: a key to competitiveness

By Cristina Rechy, Jorge Durán and Mona Swoboda

The Greater Caribbean Region has been designated a Special Area under Annex V of MARPOL, indicating the need to address marine port inefficiencies in environmental sustainability. The Inter-American Committee on Ports* argues that, in order to compete at international level, the Caribbean nations must introduce more efficient and environmentally sustainable practices.

The member states of the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (OAS) are working together to develop an efficient and sustainable port sector by strengthening inter-American cooperation, sharing practices and institutional technical capacities, offering capacity building programs and fostering public-private partnerships in six priority thematic areas, including sustainable port management and environmental protection.

Port modernization strategies must be accompanied by appropriate policies and regulations that encourage innovation for existing infrastructure, including port reception facilities (PRFs).

Environmental sustainability is a driving factor of the maritime industry, especially as green operations add comparative advantages for marketing purposes. The concept of green logistics combines logistics performance and environmental sustainability as complementary objectives in national agendas.

The amount of solid and liquid waste from ports varies depending on the nature of their operations, the types of vessels served and other regional factors. Several ports in the Americas have successfully implemented green operations, including PRFs, and while they provide excellent models to replicate, many ports in the hemisphere are struggling to comply with the demand for a greener performance. The Greater Caribbean Region, for instance, has been designated a Special Area under Annex V of MARPOL, indicating the need to better address marine port inefficiencies in environmental sustainability, where operational and legislative differences between countries generate a large disparity in the management of cargo residues and waste.

Issues

Green PRFs should follow ISO 16304:2013 guidelines on the management of ship-generated waste regulated by MARPOL that is discharged at ports and terminals. It addresses the issues to be considered in:

• The development of a port waste management strategy
• The design and operation of PRFs
• Port Waste Management Plan development, implementation and compliance;
• PRF management and accountability.

The strategies presented here are key elements in the operation of PRFs as they are internationally standardized guidelines aimed at increasing their efficiency and directly regulating the procedures needed to comply with the demand for a greener logistic performance.

The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), for instance, as a MARPOL 73/78 signatory, has procedures in place to accept ship-generated waste excluding medical and food waste. The collection and disposal of solid and oily wastes are carried out, respectively, by the National Solid Waste Management Authority and by private licensed contractors. The opportunity exists for waste collection from cruise ships with a subsequent potential to generate biofuel that may incentivize LNG cruise vessels to include Jamaica as a port of call since they would be able to bunker and dispose of waste. These upgraded procedures open the way to a reduction in operational costs and improvements in logistics, thus benefiting end-users and appealing to prospective ones.

In today’s globalized world, Caribbean nations must address marine port inefficiencies with cost-cutting, efficient and environmentally sustainable technologies and operational practices, including PRFs, in order to increase their national and regional economic competitiveness. Thus, it is vitally important for countries which ratified MARPOL to implement this international standard in the most appropriate way.

*The Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) of the Organization of American States. The secretary of the CIP is Jorge Durán, one of the authors of this article.