Waste Management
Mitigation measures are used to manage planned waste, reduce its impact on the environment and ensure compliance with applicable laws, standards, and policies. The Company implemented a garbage management plan to treat waste generated onboard. This plan provides written procedures for minimizing, collecting, storing, processing and disposing of garbage, including the use of the equipment onboard ships.
Food waste
IMO defines food waste as any spoiled or unspoiled food substance and includes fruits, vegetables, dairy products, poultry, meat products, and food scraps generated onboard ships. Food waste on board may be disposed of onshore or shredded into small pieces by food waste grinders and disposed of at sea (beyond 3 or 12 nm from the nearest land). The actual disposal route must be recorded in a Garbage Disposal Record Book. To reduce pollution, the Company continuously trains and updates crew members, as well as onshore personnel, on our policies and requirements for strict adherence to MARPOL and general environmental awareness.
Sludge disposal
Sludge is a byproduct of the fuel oil purification process on board a vessel. In the past, it was common industry practice to incinerate sludge thereby releasing harmful greenhouse into the atmosphere. To reduce its environmental footprint, the Company adopted a policy to dispose of sludge to shore-based reception facilities. This is a much more expensive means of disposing of such waste, however, it reflects the Company’s efforts toward environmental conservation. Waste oil or sludge generated on each ship constitutes about 1% of all fuel burnt. Empirical research suggests that every ton of oil burnt generates approximately 3 tons of CO2. By delivering sludge to a suitable reception facility, this waste can be recycled to make products like grease which is a lubricant widely used in multiple industries.
