Eight months after the lockdown, and as many European countries are facing a new lockdown while we are writing this article, we have some distance to evaluate the first impact of the crisis on the activity of port reception facilities.
More than 80% of world trade in volume is caried by sea and the fall in shipping has had a direct impact on the number of calls to port reception facilities. Since the beginning of the year 2020, two third of EUROSHORE members have seen a fall of calls limited between 10 and 30%. However, it depends very much on the type of activities they provide to port authorities and shipowners. For companies collecting and treating cruise waste the fall is dramatically over 80% putting some companies in huge difficulties.
FALL OF PORT CALLS LINKED TO THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC
AMONG EUROSHORE MEMBERS
If billions have been made available to support the economy, it is important to note that ALL members who participated to the survey claimed to have received no aid at all from port authorities. At a time where getting reed of marine litter has become a high priority and concern for decision makers and civil society, EUROSHORE would like to draw your attention to this situation. As this crisis is still pending and to prevent some others whatever the nature of it, EUROSHORE members would welcome the possibility to adapt port regulations and fees to face specific situations like this one.
It is worth noting that EUROSHORE members collected a total of 2.5 million tonnes of waste in 2019, 70% of them being oil and oily waste. Collection and treatment of hazardous waste is strongly regulated, license to operate under the highest environmental standards require huge investments and this is the price to pay to answer our environmental commitments.