site.btaLaw Amended to Discourage Waste Dumping at Sea

Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday passed conclusively amendments to the Maritime Space, Inland Waterways and Ports of the Republic of Bulgaria Act.

The rate of the port dues for acceptance and treatment of ship waste or waste generated by ships should not encourage the dumping of waste at sea or in the River Danube.

The dues may be set at rates varying by the ship's category, type and size, the services provided by the vessel outside the port's working hours or the hazard posed by the waste. 

The dues may be reduced depending on the type of business for which the ship is used, and more specifically where used for short-distance merchant shipping or where the ship's structure, equipment and operation prove that it generates reduced quantities of waste and they are managed in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.

The dues will be paid by every ship called at the port, irrespective of whether it has used a port acceptance facility or not.

Payment of the dues may be waived by a ship owner who, according to a procedure established by an ordinance provided for in the Merchant Shipping Code, is exempt from the obligation to deliver ship waste because the relevant conditions are met. The conditions include the ship performing regular voyages involving frequent and regular calls at Bulgarian sea ports, a concluded agreement on delivery of the waste, and payment of the relevant dues at a port along the route of the ship.