Port reception facilities are a crucial tool for the good functioning of the maritime industry and thus for the delivery of goods to all. As many others, EUROSHORE’s members have put in place contingency plans to limit the propagation of the COVID 19 while continuing delivering MARPOL services at best.
Meanwhile, the impact of the outbreak on the worldwide economy has led to an unprecedent down of activity. More and more people are confined at home. The industry is stalled. States have taken emergency restrictions with impacts on logistics, leading, in some cases to a partial lockdown of treatment facilities. The whole waste management system is experiencing also major changes in the life cycle of recyclables, once solutions are broadly based on export and the share of existing treatment capacity. The market value of segregated materials has fallen. Beside this, waste export must follow export permits from which the management of (new) notifications drastically reduced due to other obvious priorities for Administrative authorities at this moment.
In addition to usual recyclables, port reception facilities are in charge of collecting and treating oil and oily waste form ships, generated when they operate. These services are essential to prevent pollution of oceans by avoiding any discharge at sea. At the same time, the treatment of these residues contributes to the circular economy by providing an alternative fuel (even in some EU countries a real new fuel when end-of-waste criteria’s are in place), which is used mainly by the industry. And we are back where we started. Stocks of recovered oil have already reached almost their full capacity, due to the lack of demand.
In parallel, oil prices have dropped sharply and the COVID 19 has played a detonating role in the geopolitical fight between the big oil producers over the world. Consequently, oil prices have lost 50% in a few weeks and recovered fuel, even when inserted in an end-of-waste context as product, experiences a similar crash, falling under its processing costs.
Today, all of these contribute to the degeneration of the market, and put most of EUROSHORE’s members financial survival at risk. If we want to prevent an international maritime trade standstill and allow most countries to continue to be delivered on essential goods and equipment they need, EUROSHORE is calling for an exceptional cooperation and engagement between the different stakeholders of the industry under the supervision of key decision makers form IMO and the EU.
“I am convinced that Port Reception Facilities have a crucial role to play during this crisis to take part to a continuous, eco-friendly, delivery of essential goods and equipment for the populations. It is our role to share our expertise about ship waste management to IMO and the EU institutions to help solve challenges ahead and avoid a collapse in our services” says Carlos Cardoso, Chairman of EUROSHORE.
“EUROSHORE members are very committed to provide the best services to the maritime industry. It is therefore crucial and urgent to find, in collaboration with Port Authorities and Shippers, the best answers to this unprecedent crisis. We are confident that they will be ready to adapt and accept exceptional rules for the benefit of all” says Sophie Delair, Secretary General of Euroshore.