IMO has been working with southern and eastern African countries to help implement marine environment protection measures contained in one of the organization’s flagship treaties – MARPOL. A workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya (17-19) gathered participants from 12 countries* to focus on MARPOL Annexes I to V, and in particular the regulations covering garbage discharge from ships and adequacy of port reception facilities.
Participants discussed factors affecting full
implementation of MARPOL and its annexes, including those issues identified
during audits carried out under IMO's Member State Audit Scheme (IMSAS). These
factors included incomplete transposition of the convention and its amendments
into national legislation. Regional and national actions to address the
existing barriers hampering full implementation and enforcement were agreed.
During the workshop, which was organised with the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), participants also visited the waste reception/recycling facilities in the port of Mombasa and discussed the waste facility licensing scheme and port waste management plans. The Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) for Africa, based in Mombasa, updated participants about their work on supporting implementation of MARPOL Annex VI and, in particular, the requirements on energy efficiency of ships.
Find out more about IMO’s Action Plan on Marine Plastic Litter, here.
* Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania (United Republic of)