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The Norwegian fishing industry will face changes in the waste management system for ports and has been welcomed by the Fishermen’s Association. Photo: Fiskerlaget\Jan-Erik Indrestrand
In October next, the Norwegian fishing industry faces changes for waste management system in ports.
The Norwegian Fishermen’s Association welcomed the news with the Fiskerlag leader Kåre Heggebø saying, “This is positive. The Fishermen’s Association has long emphasised the need for better waste management in ports.”
The Environmental Administration has been working on an update of the Pollution Regulations for some time, and this week the Ministry of Climate and Environment (KLD) provided information on approved changes to the Pollution Regulations regarding the delivery and reception of waste and cargo residues from ships. The regulation will come into effect on October 01, 2023.
The rule changes are intended to reduce pollution and promote environmentally friendly handling of waste from boats, including fishing vessels and recreational boats. Ports will also facilitate the reception of retrieved waste, which can be delivered at no extra cost.
Initially, the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association has been and continues to be supportive of a fee to establish a waste management system in ports. The Association believes that the opportunity to deliver retrieved waste in all ports will be a significant improvement compared to the current arrangement.
“Initially, we believe it is reasonable for all port users to pay for a waste management system for their own waste, and we think it’s great that waste that gets stuck in gear and is retrieved will also be included in the fee. That being said, it is still unclear what will happen to the Fishing for Litter program,” says Kåre Heggebø, chairman of the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association.
The port authority will collect the fee, which must be paid regardless of whether waste is delivered or not. The fee will vary based on the category, type, and size of the vessel. The fee in each port will finance the establishment of sorting, delivery, and handling of waste on land, but the specific amount of the fee has not been specified. It has also not been described how such a system will be organized in practice.
“We are still concerned that the fee may be larger than initially proposed, between 1,000 and 1,400 kroner per year, and that this could become a bureaucratic time-consuming process. This is something we will look into further, including engaging in dialogue with port users, ports, and environmental authorities,” says Kåre Heggebø.
He states that the Fishermen’s Association will closely follow the case and work to clarify what the Ministry of Climate and Environment’s thoughts are regarding the Fishing for Litter program and how the implementation of the new systems can be done in the best possible way, both practically and economically.
“In any case, it’s great that we now have a publicly facilitated waste management system in ports that allows both the fishing fleet and other seafarers to safely dispose of various types of waste in a similar way to what we are familiar with in households. These are necessary measures,” concludes the leader of the Fishermen’s Association.