Not only marine life is affected by ship waste. There is unquestionable evidence that waste from ships has become a serious social, environmental, economic and health issue worldwide.

Consequently, there is an urgent need for proper handling of ship-generated waste with adequate Port Reception Facilities as requested by the MARPOL Convention.

In the framework of the EU funded SAFEMED IV project, DNV-GL was contracted to conduct a study on Waste Reception and Handling Assessment according to the Annexes of MARPOL Annex for the ports of la Goulette (Tunisia). Such activity was scheduled to support the development of a Waste Reception and Handling Plan that adequately meets the requirements of international, regional, and to a larger extent European law.

The objective of having an adequate Waste Reception and Handling Plan for ports is to protect the natural environment by ensuring the establishment and the operation of a reception scheme for waste and cargo residues from ships and the adequacy of Port Reception Facilities.