The Executive Coordinator of the Port Environmental Network–Africa (PENAf) Dr Harry Barnes-Dabban, has commended the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for remaining proactive in its approach to sustainable port and shipping operations.
Addressing a news conference in Tema yesterday about the importance of preventing marine pollution, Dr Barnes-Dabban also lauded the GPHA for taking the lead in the implementation of the MARPOL 1973-1978 protocol in 2004 even before Ghana officially domesticate the international convention.
MARPOL which stands for the international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes was adopted in November 1973 by International Maritime Organisation.
The convention has helped to minimise pollution of the oceans and seas with the dumping of oil and air pollution.
Dr. Barnes-Dabban said “GPHA story has not been highlighted enough. Normally, international conventions would have to be domesticated before you take action to implement. But the Authority at the time identified with the IMO and began implementing the convention.”
He explained that the indirect method of charging vessels that call at the ports environmental fee was one that was gradually being adopted globally.
“The European Union is now moving towards this indirect system of payment,” “the Port Authority charges this fee to all vessels, whether you have waste to pay or not. If you compare this practice to some places in Africa and other areas of the world, ships only pay for waste that they discharge under a direct fee system,” Dr Barnes-Dabban said.
The latter system, he noted, encouraged ships to not discharge properly at ports and that defeats the spirit of MARPOL which wants to prevent shipping pollution.
The General Manager in charge of Estate and Environment at the GPHA, Mr James Benjamin Gaisie, on his part, indicated that the indirect payment system demotivated vessels’ crew from dumping their waste improperly, because “they pay for it regardless as such there was no way a shipping line would pay for a service and refuse to be served.”
Mr Gaisie said because the fee was not profit-oriented the port did not gain any direct benefit; it rather helped cater for the service.
However, he said in line with the government’s policy to empower the private sector in port operations, the Authority ceded the delivery of waste management services to private companies.
He stated that in spite of that the port should put in place measures to ensure that the operators were licensed and had the adequate capacity to execute the task.
He said:”The companies given concession were required to provide infrastructure and equipment to handle the waste, obtain environmental impact assessment and permit from the Environmental Protection Agency so that it could directly monitor the process to ensure the collection, treatment and disposal was in line with the national waste regulations.”
The Operations Manager of Ecostar, a waste management company at the Tema port, Samuel Addy, expressed satisfaction that GPHA, the Customs Division, and National Security were working to expedite the permitting process to ensure quick delivery of services.
