A ship's waste reception facility for the marine environment

Hydrocarbon spills cause marine pollution and those spills occur due to tanker accidents, ballasting, flushing of refinery plants, offshore drilling and pumping, shipping activities, petroleum transporting, polluted rivers, industrial and domestic effluent. Various marine organisms such as plankton, algae and fish may be affected by marine pollution. As a signatory to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, (MARPOL 73/78), and as a member state of the International Maritime Organization (IMO); Turkey is obligated to establish port reception facilities for ship-generated waste. As an initial step, Turkey is considering the establishment of such facilities in all Turkish ports. At present, even in some European countries that are parties to the MARPOL 73/78 Convention lack port waste facilities, leaving the countries vulnerable to pollution from solid and oily wastes that may be disposed at sea. These wastes are transported by wind and currents to shores often in locations distant from the original source, causing serious pollution. In this paper authors discuss the establishment of a port reception facility in the Republic of Turkey. The authors collaborated to develop a waste reception facility for the Port of Izmir and its immediate environs.