Information on ship's waste

Provision of Port Reception Facilities for the delivery of Waste from Ships

Transport Malta, through its Ports and Yachting Directorate, is the government authority responsible for regulating maritime activities in territorial waters including the management of waste from ships at all local ports.
The Port Reception Facilities (PRF) Directive (EU) 2019/88 has been transposed into Maltese legislation as Subsidiary Legislation 499.71 (S.L 499.71) titled, Port Reception Facilities for the Delivery of Waste from Ships Regulations, 2021 under the Authority for Transport in Malta Act (Chapter 499). The implementation of the Directive is further supported through a number of Port Notices. The purpose of this directive is to ensure that adequate port reception facilities for waste be provided to all vessels. The provision of such facilities helps in reducing the dumping of ship waste into the sea hence strengthening further and aligning with the measures found in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention).

Advance Waste Notification
Vessels of 300GT and above and fishing vessels, traditional ships, and recreational craft longer than 45m entering local territorial waters shall notify the Authority of their requirements to dispose waste. The master of the vessel declares the type of waste and respective quantities to be disposed by compiling the Advanced Waste Notification (AWN) form (Second Schedule of S.L499.71) which is handed to the agent and submitted to Transport Malta through the TM single Window (TMSW). After waste delivery has taken place, the ‘waste delivery receipt’ form (Third Schedule of S.L499.71) is compiled and submitted to the Authority through the same procedure. Vessels which do not fall under the above-mentioned dimensions would still be entitled to deliver waste when at shore in the various PRFs dedicated to different waste streams but without having to submit the AWN form.

Vessel Exemptions
Under these Regulations, the Authority may exempt ships form notifications, delivering waste and paying the waste management fee. Exemptions are granted when the ship is engaged in scheduled traffic with frequent and regular port calls and when there is evidence of an arrangement to deliver waste in a port along the ship’s route. Definitions for ‘scheduled’, ‘frequent’ and ‘regular’ can be found in Port Notice 01/2023. The Agent of a Vessel can apply for an exemption certificate by submitting a filled-in application form along with the above-mentioned evidence.
The PRF regulations do not only regulate waste disposal by vessels but provide guidance to how waste should be managed by local facilities of which main obligation is to have a waste reception and handling plan according to the requirements laid down in the First Schedule of S.L. 499.71. Waste management and handling plans are to be updated every 5 years or every time there are relevant changes of the facility’s operations, procedures, or regulations. Each facility is inspected annually by the authority to check for the effective implementation of the plan.
Users of PRFs are to be made aware of the procedures to dispose waste according to local regulations including their right to complain when such facilities are not adequately provided.

Availability of PRFs

MARPOL Annex I
Waste oil disposal services are available through authorised road tankers, barges, and direct pumping from the facilities’ berths in the Port of Valletta.
Road tanker and barge services are available in the Port of Marsaxlokk.

MARPOL Annex IV
Sewage disposal services are available by authorised waste carriers (road tankers) in both Ports.

MARPOL Annex V
Garbage disposal services are available in both our Ports by authorised waste carriers (trucks).
Waste Disposal in Malta is generally organised by the vessel’s agent with respect to the Terminal’s Waste Management and Handling Plan. For more information regarding the charges, you can contact our local ship agents
For further queries on the implementation of the Directive (EU) 2019/883 and S.L. 499.71, kindly contact the Marine Operations and Incident Response Unit on prf.tm@transport.gov.mt