- The IMO is advancing efforts to ensure the safe transport of plastic pellets transported on ships.
- The plastics can cause damage to the marine environment if released into the sea.
- IMO agreed draft recommendations for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea, along with draft guidelines for cleaning up plastic pellet spills from ships.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed new guidance on several key environmental issues.
Pollution Prevention and Response
Last week at IMO Headquarters in London, IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) made progress in the following areas, to be submitted to the Marine Environment Protection Committee for approval this March (MEPC 81) and October (MEPC 82):
- the safe transport of plastic pellets by sea
- best practices for cutting Black Carbon emissions from ships operating in or near the Arctic
- reducing risks of use and carriage for use of heavy fuel oil (HFO) as fuel by ships in Arctic waters
- developing local contingency plans for spills or pollution involving oil or hazardous and noxious substances
- controlling nitrogen oxide emissions.
Transport of plastic pellets by sea
The Sub-Committee further discussed the issue of the transport by ship of plastic pellets, which can cause environmental damage if released into the sea.
The Sub-Committee agreed on draft recommendations for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers and draft guidelines for the clean-up of plastic pellets from ship source spills.
The draft recommendations for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers outline the following actions:
- Plastic pellets should be packed in good quality packaging which should be strong enough to withstand the shocks and loadings normally encountered during transport.
- Packaging should be constructed and closed to prevent any loss of contents which may be caused under normal conditions of transport, by vibration or acceleration forces.
- Transport information should clearly identify those freight containers containing plastic pellets. The shipper should supplement the cargo information with a special stowage request for proper stowage.
- Freight containers containing plastic pellets should be properly stowed and secured to minimize the hazards to the marine environment without impairing the safety of the ship and persons on board. Specifically, they should be stowed under deck wherever reasonably practicable, or inboard in sheltered areas of exposed decks.
These recommendations will be submitted for urgent consideration by the Marine Environment Protection Committee at its next session in March 2024 (MEPC 81).
The draft guidelines on clean-up of plastic pellets from ship-source spills provide practical guidance for government authorities to ensure clean up actions are appropriate and effective. The guidelines cover contingency planning, response, post-spill monitoring and analysis, and intervention and cost recovery.
The draft guidelines will be submitted to the 82nd session of MEPC (MEPC 82) in October 2024 following an editorial review by the Secretariat. In the meantime, Member States were invited to apply the guidelines early, if needed.
The Sub-Committee held extensive discussions on possible amendments to IMO mandatory instruments related to the transport by ship of plastic pellets. These discussions will continue at future sessions.
Read the full meeting summary for PPR11
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: IMO
