IMPORTANCE OF PROPER DELIVERY OF SHIP-GENERATED WASTE AND CARGO RESIDUES AT THE APB’S PORTS

The Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, in compliance with current legislation (RD 1381/2002 and RD 1084/2009), has drawn up the following information, which is a summary of the “Plan for the reception and handling of ship-generated waste at the ports of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza and La Savina", which is available to all the ports’ users.

One of the priorities of the APB’s environmental protection policy includes reducing the discharge of ship-generated waste into the sea in order to protect the marine environment. To achieve this, it takes into account the requirements of the the Marpol 73/78 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships.

The sea has long been considered a dumping ground for waste generated by man on land and at sea. The cumulative effect over time, as well as the increase in the amount of waste and its harmful effects, are exhausting the oceans’ capacity for biological regeneration.

Marine pollution caused by humans causes changes in the oceans’ ecosystems, generating negative effects which are returning to man in different ways, such as contaminated food and changes in coastlines.