ABP provides waste facilities for ship generated waste at fixed locations around the Southampton port estate. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, Defra has issued new guidance in connection with ship generated waste. Food waste from ships is now classed as International Catering Waste (ICW) when travelling internationally or from the European Union.
International Catering and galley waste must be brought ashore in sealed, leak proof bags and deposited in bins marked “For Disposal of International Food Waste”. All other MARPOL wastes, e.g. oil, oily wastes, noxious substances in liquid form and sewage must be disposed via arrangements made between the ship or agent and a licensed waste management contractor.
The charge for waste management can be found in the plan.
Our revised Port Waste Management Plan takes account of the new ICW requirements is available here.
For vessels using non ABP managed berths, such as the DPWS container terminal, the Itchen wharves or the Esso and BP jetties, please refer your enquiry to the terminal operator directly.
Ships (or agents acting on their behalf) using ABP facilities must advise ABP up to 24 hours in advance of arrival on the amount of waste they intend to land by logging onto www.abpnotify.co.uk. Notification is a legal requirement and ABP is obliged to report vessels that do not comply with the requirement to notify and / or offload waste to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Unless granted an MCA exemption certificate or able to demonstrate that they have sufficient on-board storage space for wastes, vessels must unload all their waste when in port.
Up to 4m3 per ship can be landed and 1.1m3 of ICW at ABP managed berths. If the quantity of waste to be landed exceeds these figures, ships must arrange disposal of the extra waste with a licensed waste contractor.
International Catering Waste
International Catering Waste (ICW) includes all food waste from planes, vehicles or ships travelling internationally and within EU territory. The responsibility for identifying and disposing of ICW lies with either:
- the company that owns the vessel or aircraft; or
- the private owner of the vessel or aircraft.
Food waste from planes, vehicles or ships is classified domestic catering waste when:
- operating within the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
- travelling from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
At ABP managed berths, we have dedicated waste facilities for vessels landing ICWm that are cleaned and disinfected after each collection.
Master’s Responsibilities
ICW must be declared via the Agents On-line portal prior to arrival as per the current procedure. Before your merchant boat, ship or fishing vessel leaves a harbour or terminal, you must send waste to a waste reception facility, unless your vessel has enough waste storage capacity for the next leg of the journey. You must inform ABP, as harbour authority, via the Agents On-line portal, if you do not unload waste due to sufficient storage capacity until the next port of call.
Recycling ICW and other materials
You must separate items for recycling before they are placed in a waste bin or plastic bag. You cannot recycle items that have been mixed with pots of honey, milk or milk products, if they were treated in a treatment plant outside the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
You can recycle other items as long as they have not been mixed with catering waste. This includes:
- confectionery
- crisps and nuts
- drinks not containing milk
Declaring Waste as [UK] Domestic Catering Waste
Any food waste produced by your vessel or aircraft while travelling within the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man will be considered domestic waste if:
- you clean and disinfect all areas on your vessel that come into contact with food (galley, store rooms)
- any restocking is done inside the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
Vessels must complete a written declaration to show that all these actions have been taken. On a ship, the declaration must be completed by the ship’s master, and sent to the port, harbour, marina, boatyard or naval yard operator for audit by the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA). For Southampton, declarations should be sent to contactus@abports.co.uk.
Further Information
Further information can be obtained by visiting the Defra website Handling and disposing of international catering waste - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or if you have any additional questions, please contact us at contactus@abports.co.uk.