Guide for Ship-generated Waste Management on the Northern Sea Route

(By G.N. Semanov, Y.B. Kirsh, O.B. Grachyova ; INSROP Working Paper No. 133 – 1999, II.6.12)

The main objective of the Guide is to assist vessel operators in complying with requirements set forth in MARPOL 73/78 and national laws.

It can be achieved by developing for arctic ships environmentally safe waste management strategy that should be based on the assessment of the existing waste situation, its analysis and recommendations elaborated on its basis.

"The Guide on ship-generated wastes management in the NSR” is divided into six sections.

The first three sections include objectives and requirements of the Guide, a general description of the policy, assessment of the existing waste situation.

The fourth section of the Guide provides recommendations for minimizing oil wastes quantity and their sources on board ship, oily mixtures processing technology and their discharge into shore reception facilities.

The fifth section of the Guide contains information concerning collection, on-board processing technology for sewage which is regulated by national legislation on shipping marine pollution prevention.

The sixth section of the Guide gives recommendations for garbage handling, including technology of its collection, storage, processing and utilization on board ship. Recommendations are given for reducing garbage quantity generated on board.

Taking into account the shortage of shore reception facilities 1 along the Northern Sea Route, their capacity for reception and recycling of ship-generated wastes, it should be admitted that in the Arctic there are very restricted possibilities of taking advantage of the experience related to handling of wastes which is used in other regions. For example, there is no possibility of reuse of lubricating oils. In this connection there is no need to collect separately different kinds of oily residues and wastes.

All sections of the Guide point out the necessity to utilize wastes to maximum extent and provide their reuse on board. The Guide gives an example of a matrix form of inspection of existing ship’s practices.

The Guide does not include recommendations for bulk chemical waste management. The wastes are usually handled in loading and unloading ports and terminals.

G.N. Semanov, Y.B. Kirsh, O.B. Grachyova, 1999, Guide for Ship-generated Waste Management on the Northern Sea Route, INSROP.©