Implementing World Bank
Agency
Region Wider Caribbean region
Focal Area International Waters
Project Title Wider Caribbean Initiative for Ship-Generated Waste
GEF Allocation US$5.5 million
Total Financing US$5.5 million
Dates June 1994-January 1998
Environmental ·
Pollution and ecological damage from ship-generated waste in marine and coastal waters and shorelines
Problem
Project Goals ·
Lay the basis for the ratification and implementation of the Marine Pollution 73/78 Convention by the
developing countries of the wider Caribbean Region
Much ship-generated waste is discharged at sea, polluting international waters and coastal zones; in some
areas, this waste washes up on beaches and fouls local waters, threatening the tourist trade. To improve the
quality of the world's oceans and coastlines and protect international waters, the international community
adopted the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (MARPOL) to regulate ship-
generated waste.
Nations concerned with the quality of the Wider Caribbean Sea include not only the various Caribbean islands
but also surrounding nations in North, Central, and South America. Many of these nations gathered at a special
workshop in Caracas, Venezuela, in October 1990 to discuss the threat to the Wider Caribbean Sea region from
garbage discharged from ships. They agreed that the problem was significant enough for the region to receive
protection as a "special area" under MARPOL. Ships of all sizes in the region would thereby be prohibited from
discharging any waste materials, except food, which must be discharged far from land.
Most developed nations have ratified MARPOL, but ratification by developing countries in the Wider
Caribbean Sea region has been incomplete. This could be attributed to the convention's requirement that
countries provide adequate port reception facilities for receiving ship-generated waste and implement national
legislation to enable enforcement of the convention. Without the assistance of the international community, the
economic burden of carrying out these requirements has been too great. These countries have also needed
technical expertise to deal with associated legislative, institutional, waste management, and enforcement issues.
The Project This project, implemented by the International Maritime Organization, was conceived as the first phase of a
long-term process to clean up and protect the Caribbean Sea. The project worked to provide the basis for
countries in the region to ratify and implement MARPOL. Project activities contributed to this objective by
providing governments with (a) information on legal, technical, and institutional measures needed on a regional
and national basis to implement MARPOL and (b) a forum for considering options and reaching a regional
consensus on the actions to be taken.
In the future, it is expected that a second phase may build on this project's results by investing in port reception
facilities, waste management infrastructure, and institutional training programs with the ultimate goal of ending
discharge of all ship-generated waste into international and territorial waters of the Caribbean Sea, protecting the
environmental integrity of Caribbean coastal and marine systems.
Activities The project was to provide technical assistance to carry out studies and support coordination activities with the
objective of producing a regional strategy to implement MARPOL. The strategy would include a regional legal
framework, regional waste management programs, a regional public awareness program, training and
identification of national projects for reception and disposal facilities. The project was to finance other activities,
including the following:
· Assess existing legislation and regulations on ship-generated wastes and identify legal remedies or
alternative strategies promoting compliance with the region's status as a "Special Area"
· Assess existing waste management systems, including waste reception facilities, and formulate regional
engineering criteria for waste reception facilities at ports
· Coordinate discussions with shipping and cruise lines on reducing waste at the source and recycling
wastes
· Develop regional waste management alternatives and strategies to integrate collection, treatment, and
disposal of ship-generated wastes with existing national systems
· Develop proposals to ensure full recovery of maritime waste collection, treatment, and disposal costs
· Assist the region in implementing new waste management alternatives, including training
· Develop strategies for public awareness programs on a national as well as regional basis
· Based on the above, develop a regional strategy for dealing with ship-generated wastes, including
identification of investment proposals to be supported by governments ands international donors.
Benefits ·
Minimize discharge of MARPOL waste into international and territorial waters
· Protect the environmental integrity of coastal and marine systems
· Reduce public health threats by strengthening national waste management systems
· Serve as a model for other initiatives requiring multinational cooperation on marine pollution initiatives.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a financial mechanism that provides grants and concessional funds to developing countries for projects and
activities designed to protect the global environment. GEF resources address climate change, biological diversity, international waters, and depletion
of the ozone layer. Activities concerning land degradation, primarily desertification and deforestation as they relate to the four focal areas, are also
eligible for funding.
GEF is a joint venture of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank.
These three agencies implement GEF projects.
For more information on this project, contact:
For more information on GEF:
Global Environment Division
GEF Headquarters
The World Bank
1818 H Street NW
1818 H Street NW
Washington DC 20433 USA
Washington DC 20433 USA
Tel: (202) 473-0508 Fax: (202) 522-3240/522-3245
Tel: (202) 473-1816 Fax: (202) 522-3256
www.gefweb.org
E-mail: htowsey@worldbank.org
www.worldbank.org/html/pic/gefdoc.htm
Chief Executive Officer: Mohamed T. El-Ashry
Senior External Relations Coordinator: Hutton G. Archer
E-mail: harcher@worldbank.org