In
May 2007 several tanks at the Vest Tank facility in Gulen in Sogn og Fjordane
exploded. The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (SFT) reported the company
and the transport company Trafigura for having illegally imported hazardous
waste, among other things. “Experience from this incident has shown a need for
stronger, more coordinated and efficient control over the import and export of
hazardous waste to and from Norwegian ports by the Authority,” says SFT
director Ellen Hambro.
Strengthening
and coordinating control of shipping: The Norwegian Pollution Control Authority
took the initiative for a working group with the Directorate for Civil
Protection and Emergency Planning, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, the
Norwegian Maritime Directorate and the Customs and Excise Authority to develop
improved control over the export and import of hazardous waste by tanker and
bulk carrier. The 5 government agencies all have different control functions
connected with ships’ arrival at and departure from Norwegian ports.
“It
is important to make use of each other’s competence, computer systems and
presence so that together we are better prepared to reveal and prevent the
illegal import and export of hazardous waste,” says SFT director Ellen Hambro. “The
agencies are now sending a joint report to the Ministry of the Environment in
which we present a proposal for increased controls over the export and import
of hazardous waste by ship. Together we will establish routines and warning
systems that will improve our ability to reveal the illegal import or export of
hazardous waste by ship,” says SFT director Ellen Hambro.
The 5 government agencies have therefore developed a system for filtering out
the most likely ship movements. “We intend to discover the very few cases of
illegal activity. This should occur without disturbing all the legal transports
and without using a disproportionate amount of resources. We now propose an
effective and coordinated control system in which the probability of disclosing
illegal activities is so great that it will deter potential law breakers,” says
SFT director Ellen Hambro.
The
physical controls will mainly be carried out during loading and unloading or at
the reception facilities for hazardous waste after unloading. The new system
will include control of documents, visual control and, if necessary, sampling
and analysing the cargo. The controls will also depend on observations that
give cause for suspicion by those in the public service in the pilot service
and traffic control. The new system from 2010 will supplement the controls SFT
already makes of onshore facilities that handle or generate hazardous waste.
“The
exchange of information and coordination of action across national borders to
prevent the illegal transport of hazardous waste is very important. It will not
be sufficient for only us in Norway
Source: RecyclingPortal.EU
(Sourced from Norwegian Pollution Control Authority). 11 December 2009
