New Marine Pollution Act in force from tomorrow

CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE

A new Marine Pollution Act will be in force from tomorrow with wider regulatory powers to prevent, reduce, control and manage maritime pollution in the country's territorial waters and in the Maritime Zone .

The Act will empower Maritime Environment Protection Authority to impose heavy penalties on marine polluters in the land as well as in the sea, Authority's Chairman Ranjith Kularatna said.

The new Act will replace the Marine Pollution Prevention Act ( No.59) of 1981. The name of the Marine Pollution Prevention Authority is also to be changed as Marine Environment Protection Authority from tomorrow he said.

Kularatna said , the Authority would be able to act on nineteen areas concerning marine pollution under the new Act as against the three areas under the present Act.

" When the Act No.59 was formulated in 1981 the situation of marine pollution was not as serious as it is today," he pointed out.

"Under this Act we can regulate bunkering operations in the sea and detain ships that discharge harmful substances to the sea," he said. "It can control and manage ship based activities that emit pollutant devices to the sea," he said.

" We can also insist on pollution control plans in those ships or vessels that enter into our sea of national jurisdiction," he said.

The Authority can prosecute the owners or operators of any vessel if there has been a discharge of oils, or any pollutant to the sea without its permission, accidentally or otherwise ," he said.

The new legislature will require the ships entering into Sri Lankan territorial waters to carry record books relating to loading and unloading of their oil cargo and other details, he said. The Authority can also regulate petroleum exploration activities in the sea as well, he said.

The Authority can impose fines from Rs. 500,000 up to Rs. 15 million against acts of marine pollution under this Act depending on severity of the the offences, he further said.