Expert Meeting on Ship-generated waste (9 March 2023)

The Expert Meeting on Ship-generated waste was held on 9 March 2023 in hybrid format under the chairmanship of the representative of Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by over 30 experts from the member states of the Danube Commission: Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Austria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as the Secretary of the UNECE Working Party on Inland Navigation, the Secretary of the Sava Commission and the Policy Officer of the Strasbourg Convention on the collection, deposit and reception of waste generated during navigation on the Rhine and other inland waterways.

The experts discussed the implementation of the updated version of the Recommendations for organizing the collection of ship-generated waste in Danube navigation (DK/TAG 97/15), the development of the infrastructure for the collection and disposal of waste from ships operating on the Danube and the financing model. Some important additional topics were addressed: OPPD/DFND, digitalization, amendment of the TEN-T regulation, use of alternative fuels in the near future and the impact on waste management from vessels, clarifications from previous meetings. Functional and balanced decisions were made.

The meeting was informed on the updated infrastructure database established on the Danube for the collection and disposal of ship waste (the interactive map of the Danube prepared by DC Secretariat).

For the purpose of sharing best practices in the area of waste management in navigation, APDM Galați made a presentation on Eco Dunărea.

During the debate, the experts noted that the DC Recommendation represents a comprehensive model that takes into account the specifics of each country and introduces new norms and requirements. The experts’ suggestions went in the direction of better explanation and transparency of the financial model in each country, while the delegation of Ukraine suggested improving the data collection system in the interactive map. By the end of 2023, the Secretariat will prepare and circulate to the DC member states a questionnaire on the experience with the application of the DC Recommendation. The next Expert Meeting on Ship-generated waste is to be held in March 2025.

The results of the meeting will be presented at the next session of Technical Working Group (18-20 April 2023).

Presentations: