product wastes — bottles, cans, cups, 

 plastic wrappers and bags — should not 

 be discarded in the marine environment. 



Vessel Debris 



Since the onset of ocean travel, 

 world sailors have used the seas as a 

 vast, seemingly bottomless garbage 

 dump. But today, we understand that the 

 oceans are not limitless trash pits, espe- 

 cially where nonbiodegradables such as 

 plastic, glass and aluminum are con- 

 cerned. The debris that is dumped into 

 marine waters can damage sensitive 

 ecosystems. 



Realizing the global environmental 

 impacts of marine debris and targeting 



the commercial maritime users who ply 

 the seas, the United Nations' Interna- 

 tional Maritime Organization (IMO) 

 drafted a treaty — MARPOL and five 

 annexes — designed to halt at-sea dis- 

 posal of wastes, particularly plastics. 



Annex V specifically prohibits the 

 at-sea disposal of all plastics. It also 

 limits the ocean discharge of other types 

 of garbage to specified distances from 

 land and prohibits it entirely in desig- 

 nated "special areas" such as the Baltic 

 Sea, the Caribbean and the Gulf of 

 Mexico. The at-sea disposal restrictions 

 apply to commercial vessels of all types 

 and size, including merchant ships, 

 freighters, cruise liners, commercial 



fishing vessels, naval ships, ferries, re- 

 search vessels, tugboats, barges and 

 offshore petroleum platforms. 



Sixty-eight countries had adopted 

 Annex V as of June 1994. Once a nation 

 ratifies this annex, the ships that bear its 

 flag and navigate its shores must comply 

 with the guidelines. Additionally, the 

 country must provide adequate port re- 

 ception facilities for the disposal of ship 

 wastes. 



Since the onset of ocean travel, 

 world sailors have used 



the seas as a vast, 

 seemingly bottomless 

 garbage dump. 

 But today, we understand 

 that the oceans are not 

 limitless trash pits, 

 especially where 

 nonbiodegradables such as plastic, 

 glass and aluminum are concerned. 

 The debris that is dumped 

 into marine waters 

 can damage sensitive ecosystems. 



Vessels complying with MARPOL 

 Annex V have three options. The boat or 

 ship can legally dispose of nonplastics 

 at sea. It can incinerate its wastes on- 

 board. Or it can hold trash for disposal 

 shoreside at ports or terminals. 



Wisely, the IMO realized that vessel 

 debris wasn't just the responsibility of 

 the commercial maritime community. 

 Shoreside, ports, terminals and docks 

 must provide bulk containers to receive 

 the increased quantities of garbage now 

 being retained by ships and boats. Be- 

 yond that, the municipalities and govern- 

 ments that support these ports and docks 

 must have waste management systems 

 for final disposal of the garbage. 



But despite the best laid plans of the 

 IMO, vessel debris remains a problem. 

 Many nations have not yet been ratified 

 MARPOL Annex V. Developing coun- 

 tries often don't have the facilities and 

 stable economies needed to support the 

 treaty. That's why the IMO, World Bank 

 and United Nations Environment Pro- 



1 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1994 



