Australia cracks down on food waste dumped overboard
The chief officer and owner of a bulk carrier have been convicted and fined for dumping food waste overboard while offshore of Australia’s Lady Elliot Island.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has flexed its maritime protection muscles by fining the chief officer and owner of the bulk carrier, the Iron Gate, for fouling the waters around Lady Elliot Island with food waste.
The fines may have been small, but the message to others who flout Australia’s stringent maritime protection laws was clear, and Allan Schwartz, General Manager Operations for the AMSA, said:
“Australians and tourists alike visit Lady Elliot Island to swim with manta rays and turtles – not blended food waste from merchant ships. We take a zero-tolerance approach to pollution from shipping and that is why, after detecting this breach during a routine inspection, we detained the ship and later filed charges.”
The incident dates to 2018, when the Liberian-flagged Iron Gate, a 28,316 dwt bulker was en route between Brisbane and Gladstone. According to the AMSA, the chief officer approved the discharge of garbage overboard while off the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Brisbane Magistrates court found the officer guilty and fined him $5,000. The amount discharged was relatively small, at an estimated 30-gallons, but under Australia’s Protection of the Sea Act 1983, food waste cannot be discharged within 12 nautical miles of the Great Barrier Reef.
“Dumping garbage into the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef isn’t something you want on your professional record,” said Schwartz. “These convictions should serve as a reminder to other industry operators that in Australia, we make sure polluters pay.”
