Vol. 414 No. 4
16 Mr. G. O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Marine when he proposes to introduce regulations governing pollution at sea within our territorial waters as outlined in the Sea Pollution Act, 1991; if harbour authorities and local authorities will be obliged to provide facilities; if he will outline the craft which will be exempt from the initial regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The regulations to be made under the Sea Pollution Act, 1991, will, primarily, give effect to the five Annexes which comprise the MARPOL 73/78 Convention viz., Annex 1 which relates to the prevention of pollution by oil; Annex 2 to the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances; Annex 3 to the prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged forms or in freight containers, portable tanks or road and rail tank wagons; Annex 4 to the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships; and Annex 5 to the prevention of pollution by garbage from ships. In order to become party to MARPOL 73/78 states must adopt Annexes 1 and 2. Annexes 3, 4 and 5 are optional. However, as I mentioned in the passage of the Bill through this House I propose to give effect to all five Annexes in due course.
Priority at this stage is being given to the drafting of the regulations to give effect to Annexes 1 (oil) and 2 (noxious liquid substances in bulk), namely, the obligatory Annexes so that the State can ratify the convention as soon as possible. I am also committed to early adoption of Annex 5 which relates to garbage. I would hope to have the regulations to give effect to Annexes 1, 2 and 5 introduced within 12 months.
Annex 1, 2, 4 and 5 require port and harbour authorities to provide reception facilities for the discharge of ships' wastes. Such facilities must be adequate to meet the needs of the ships using them without causing undue delay to the ships. There will always be a need for facilities for the disposal of oil, oily mixtures and oily residues and for those wastes which comprise garbage, viz., plastics, synthetic ropes and fishing nets, oily rags, food wastes, crockery, glass, bottles and packaging, but as the number of Irish ports at which noxious liquid substances are loaded or unloaded is small, facilities for receiving residues will only need to be provided at such ports.
Officials of my Department will be discussing the detailed arrangements with regard to the precise reception facilities to be provided, initially with the commercial harbours and the fishery harbour centres. Efforts will be made to have joint undertakings on ultimate disposal of wastes and to encourage recycling where possible.
Food wastes or "swill" must be disposed of in accordance with the requirements of the animal diseases regulations of the Department of Agriculture and Food.
