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Jamaica effectively addressing disposal of ship-generated waste

Published:Tuesday | February 11, 2020 | 12:00 AM
Lauren Campbell MSc, chemical/environmental engineer, of CEAC Solutions, explaining the port reception facility process.
From left: Dr Carlton Campbell, managing director, CL Environmental; Howard Coxe BSc business development manager, CEAC Outsourcing; Lauren Campbell MSc, engineer, CEAC Solutions; Dr Christopher Burgess, JP, managing director, CEAC Group, emphasising the importance of proper ship-waste management.
Lancedale Farquharson, JP, operations director, CEAC Outsourcing, (right) giving an up close demonstration of the disposal process to participants of the Regional Caribbean Knowledge Partnership Workshop during a visit to the waste reception facility.
From left: Dr. Christopher Burgess, managing director, CEAC Group; Bert smith, director, Legal Affairs Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Brady, director general, MAJ, as they welcome participants of the Regional Caribbean Knowledge Workshop during a visit to the waste reception facility.
From left: IMO representative Youngso Kim; Dr Carlton Campbell, managingdDirector, CL Environmental; Dr Christopher Burgess, managing director, CEAC Group; during a visit to the waste reception facility.
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jamaica, through the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), is actively seeking to implement legislation to incorporate the provisions of MARPOL. MARPOL is the main international maritime convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships, including air emissions, from operational or accidental causes, and is an International Maritime Organization (IMO) convention that deals with protection of our environment.

CEAC Outsourcing in the fight against marine pollution

For years, successive governments in Jamaica and the Caribbean have not been successful in adhering to MARPOL regulations by ensuring that proper waste reception facilities are available to accept ship generated wastes, which is a requirement for member states. Every state in the region conducts substantial trade by ships.

Under the MARPOL regulations, vessels are required to land their garbage properly in any of the ports of IMO member states they visit, and should also ensure they obtain garbage receipts, so that when their vessels are inspected by port State control officers, the officers can track what the vessels have done with all the garbage they have produced during the voyage.

When vessels cannot land these wastes, unfortunately much of it ends up being thrown overboard, which gives rise to ship-generated marine pollution. The MAJ, with responsibility for protection of the marine environment from ship-generated waste, is aided significantly through the work of CEAC Outsourcing to keep our waters and white pristine beaches safe from marine pollution.

Two years ago, CEAC Outsourcing started operations under its HazPro brand and constructed a facility off the port, located in Hill Run St Catherine. They collect waste from vessels under very strict and controlled conditions, take it to their facility, where ordinary combustible waste, food waste and medical waste are incinerated.

“CEAC Outsourcing provides the best and most organised waste reception facility in Jamaica“ said Captain Steven Spence, director of Safety Environment and Certification, MAJ.

Through an agreement with another facility in St James, the company also collects sludge, which is oil waste. This is recycled and used in resurfacing of roads, among other recognised applications.

Medical waste disposal

If MARPOL’s strict requirements are met, and the ministries’, departments, and agencies’ rules are followed, vessels may discharge medical waste in a port. Jamaica has the capacity to receive this medical waste from ships, and also takes medical waste from hospitals and medical centres islandwide.

The activities at the Hill Run location include the storage and incineration of medical waste, industrial waste and ship generated waste, and is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Operators of the facility are trained to international standards, and all equipment utilised is certified as fit for purpose.

Facility in MoBay

CEAC Outsourcing also operates a facility in St James, which is closer to the cruise ports of Montego Bay and Falmouth. That location collects larger quantities of food garbage from ships. The waste from cargo vessels that call at the port of Kingston is, understandably, much less.

It would not be unusual for a cruise ship to have on-board, hundreds of kilos, of waste, which would need to be properly disposed of through incineration. In 2018, CEAC Outsourcing collected and disposed of 5,000kg of ship generated food waste.

Adheres to strict regulations

The company adheres strictly to the various environmental and health regulators such as MAJ, National Environmental Planning Agency, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF)– particularly the Veterinary Services and Plant Quarantine Divisions. MICAF sets vigilant measures in place to ensure that there is no leakage from the trucks used by CEAC Outsourcing, when waste is transported, to prevent the spread of diseases.

This waste disposal company takes measures to ensure the ship waste is landed according to strict guidelines and is properly monitored and safely handled. The company is disposing of waste in a responsible way, preventing unlawful and arbitrary dumping.

Technical visit to site

In January 2020, MAJ made possible a technical visit by delegates from a Regional Caribbean Knowledge Partnership workshop facilitated by the IMO, to the waste reception facility operated by CEAC Outsourcing Company Limited, in Hill Run St Catherine. The incinerator at the facility was hailed as ‘state of the art’ by the IMO consultant.