Mandatory garbage record books for smaller ships in SI & Pacific by 2025

All domestic vessels in the Solomon Islands and other Pacific Islands countries members of the International Maritime Orgnisation will now have to record garbage they take on board and ensure its safe disposal by 2025.

In its recent meeting the Maritime Environment Protection Committee of the IMO has adopted amendments to make the Garbage Record Book mandatory also for ships of 100 gross tonnage and above and less than 400 gross tonnage.

It says this also extends the requirement for mandatory garbage record books to smaller ships (our domestic vessels), which will be required to keep records of their garbage handling operations, namely discharges to a reception facility ashore or to other ships, garbage incineration, permitted discharges of garbage into the sea, and accidental or other exceptional discharged or loss of garbage into the sea.

The move supports implementation of  IMO’s Strategy to address marine plastic litter from ships, which sets out to the following outcomes as key goals:  reduction of marine plastic litter generated from, and retrieved by, fishing vessels; reduction of shipping’s contribution to marine plastic litter; and improvement of the effectiveness of port reception and facilities and treatment in reducing marine plastic litter.

Actions have been agreed, to be completed by 2025, which relate to all ships, including fishing vessels.

The action plan supports IMO’s commitment to meeting the targets set in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) on the oceans.