The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has announced a plan developed together with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), for reception facilities in Pacific ports to ensure the safe off-loading of waste from ships.
The Regional Reception Facilities Plan was endorsed by the 12th meeting of the Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region and Related Protocols (the Noumea Convention), which concluded in Majuro, Marshall Islands, on 26 September 2014.
2 October 2014: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has announced a plan, developed together with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), for reception facilities in Pacific ports to ensure the safe off-loading of waste from ships.
The Regional Reception Facilities Plan was endorsed by the 12th meeting of the Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region and Related Protocols (the Noumea Convention), which concluded in Majuro, Marshall Islands, on 26 September 2014.
According to SPREP, the plan recognizes five Pacific hubs: Apia, Samoa; Suva, Fiji; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Noumea, New Caledonia; and Papeete, Tahiti. The plan involves establishing reception facilities at each of these hubs, enabling the safe off-loading of garbage, sewage and used oil. [SPREP Press Release]