Commission of the Parliament for a project to reduce pollution of the Baltic Sea by ships in ports

Members of the Parliament's Committee on Maritime Affairs and Inland Shipping voted in favour of adopting amendments to the draft law limiting pollution of the Baltic Sea by ships entering ports.

On Wednesday, the Parliament's Committee on Maritime Affairs and Inland Shipping examined at first reading the draft law on port reception facilities from ships. Members proposed mainly editorial amendments.

The draft law states that the managing body of the port or marina provides ships using the port or seaport with access to port reception facilities on its territory. For the collection and processing of waste from ships, shipowners shall pay indirect, additional and special charges. The indirect charge by which the charge for the provision of port services for port reception facilities from ships is understood shall be paid for each vessel irrespective of the actual discharge of the waste from ships.

According to the draft law, the indirect charge includes indirect costs and at least 30% of the total direct costs of the actual discharge and treatment of waste from ships in the preceding year, with the possibility to take into account also the costs associated with the expected traffic in the following year.

There are more and more merchant ships coming in, and due to the war situation in the East of Ukraine, we expect an increasing movement of ships in terms of iron ore from the Curvy Horn or grain, agricultural goods to be transhipped in ports in Gdańsk, Gdynia and Świnoujście. Our idea is that the Baltic Sea as the EU's internal sea, and in the future the Atlantic Pact is not impunity-free.

Mr Grzegorz Witkowski, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure

He added that the Baltic Sea ecosystem should be taken care of. "Therefore, shipowners of mice take responsibility for taking care of the environment. We have consulted this bill with our ports, we have also consulted the joint government and self-government committee," said Grzegorz Witkowski.

At the request of the legislative office, Members have introduced amendments to Article 9(8) and (9). They shall specify the time limit by which, on the basis of the reports submitted by port managements, the Director of the Maritime Authority shall prepare for the first time a summary of the volume and quantity of waste from ships. It is therefore to be drawn up for the first time within four months of the entry into force of the Act.

It was also laid down that the Minister responsible for Maritime Affairs was to provide the European Commission with information on the volume and quantity of passively fished waste from ships for the first month after receiving the above statements from the directors of the maritime offices.

Directive (EU) 2019/883 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on port reception facilities from ships and amending the Law of 16 March 1995 on the prevention of pollution of the sea by ships and the Law of 14 December 2012 on waste.

Source: PAP