asked the Minister for the Marine if he will make a statement on the current practice of incineration at sea as a means of waste disposal; and whether he has any plans for the outlawing of such practices.
Written Answers. - Incineration at Sea.
21.
Under the Dumping at Sea Act, 1981, which gives effect to the Oslo Convention and the London Convention relating to the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes, marine incineration may only be allowed by way of a permit for disposal at an agreed site. There is only one such site in Europe, located in the North Sea.
Ireland has not in the past used the incineration at sea technology nor has it any plans to do so in the future. The Department of the Marine are not aware of any permit having been issued by the regulatory authorities of other countries for the incineration at sea of wastes generated in Ireland; neither are the Department aware of any instances of incineration in Irish coastal waters.
Ireland has supported proposals to terminate incineration at sea at the 1988 Conferences of the Oslo and London Dumping Conventions, to which Ireland is a contracting party. The Oslo Convention Conference agreed to terminate incineration at sea by contracting parties to the Oslo Convention and within the Oslo Convention area by 31 December 1994. The London-Convention Conference agreed that contracting parties should re-evaluate incineration at sea of noxious liquid wastes as early in 1992 as possible proceeding towards the termination of this practice by 31 December 1994.