Aiming to protect the marine environment from the negative effects of waste from ships European Parliament and the Council (EU) legislated in 2019 a directive 83/2019 obliging member states ports to improve port reception facilities for waste from ships.

As an alignment to the above directive and respective local regulations that followed, Polish Ports introduced an amended system of fees for the reception and management of ship-generated waste, which are in force accordingly (links):

• Port of Gdansk – 1st of April 2024, ⇒
• Port of Gdynia – 1st October 2023, ⇒
• Port of Szczecin-Swinoujscie – 1st April 2024

The new indirect fee makes garbage disposal compulsory with amounts specified in tariffs. 

Key points are:

• Under the new rules, ships will pay an indirect fee to cover the scheme’s cost, giving them the right to deliver their waste to a port, whether or not they deliver any waste.
• In some instances, if a ship delivers an exceptional amount of waste, an additional fee may be charged to ensure that the costs of receiving such waste do not create a disproportionate burden on a port’s cost-recovery system.
• Fees may differ depending on, for example, the category, type, and size of the ship and the type of traffic. A reduced fee applies to 'green ships,’ meaning vessels that can demonstrate reduced quantities of waste and sustainable onboard waste management.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need more insight into that subject.

Sources:

1. Port tarrifs published by Polish ports:
2. An official website of the European Union: EU-LEX Directive (EU) 2019/883