Trevor Sargent
Question:193 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine the waste facilities provided at harbours and the additional marine surveyors recruited to enforce the provisions of the Sea Pollution Act, 1990. [14960/95]
Written Answers. - MARPOL Convention.
Trevor Sargent
Question:196 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine if any ship has been refused entry into an Irish port on the grounds that it did not comply with the MARPOL Convention; and if he has now satisfied himself that Irish harbours provide adequate facilities for the disposal of all ships' waste. [14964/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 196 together.
The Marpol Convention came into force for Ireland on 6 April this year and to date no ship has been refused entry on the grounds of non-compliance with the Convention.
The Sea Pollution Act, 1991 is the domestic legislation which gives effect to the Marpol Conventions. Due to budgetary restrictions and the Government embargo on staff recruitment no additional marine surveyors have been recruited for enforcing those provisions.
Ireland has adopted three of the five Annexes of the Convention which are in effect Regulations for prohibiting or controlling operational discharges of marine pollutants from ships viz Annex I (Oil and Oily Mixtures), Annex II (Noxious Liquid Substances carried in Bulk) and Annex V (Garbage). Under the Convention port and harbour authorities are obliged to provide adequate reception facilities for those wastes to meet the needs of ships using them.
In the lead up to and following ratification of the Marpol Convention my Department has been in regular contact with port/harbour authorities regarding their waste reception/disposal requirements and has carried out inspections at 17 of the more important commercial harbours and fishery harbour centres.
At this stage I am satisfied that facilities at most ports/harbours are adequate for oil/oily mixture wastes and for garbage. Special attention is being paid to those ports/harbours which having made significant progress in the provision of facilities may still have problems due to particular circumstances.
Only five ports are engaged in shipping noxious liquid substances. These operations are confined to imports in dedicated tankers so that the need for waste reception facilities for those substances does not arise for Irish ports/harbours at the present time.