Winter session 2019 of the Contracting Parties Conference and hearing of the approved organisations of the CDNI

Strasbourg, 30.01.2020 – The Contracting Parties Conference (CPC) held its biannual hearing and winter session on 17 and 18 December 2019 in Strasbourg. Chaired by Ivo Ten Broeke, head of the Dutch delegation, these sessions were also the opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Collection, Deposit and Reception of Waste Produced during Navigation on the Rhine and Inland Waterways (CDNI) with the participation of the founding members and international guests in a round table on the early days of the Convention.

Source: Secretariat of the CDNI

Hearing of the approved organisations of the CDNI

The approved organisations in attendance (Aquapol, CEFIC, Euroshore, the IAWR, the ESO and the EBU) reiterated their support for the CDNI and welcomed the fact that it was now fully operational. Given the challenges ahead, the profession launched a proactive initiative to support and direct the required development in the reception station network having regard to the various influencing factors: the ageing of the fleet and of infrastructure, regulatory obligations (anticipating the end of the transitional provisions for double hulls for separator vessels, new obligations in terms of engines under the NRMM regulations – Non-Road Mobile Machinery), the use of new alternative fuels etc. A round table with the profession, with the aim of paving the way for the future reception stations for oily and greasy waste, for waste prevention and the disposal charge, will take place in Strasbourg on 26 March 2020.

Disposal charge: charge to be maintained at €7.50 / 1000 litres in 2020, increasing to €8.50 in 2021

The disposal charge for oily and greasy waste, €7.50 / 1000 litres of zero-rated gasoil since it came into force, will remain unchanged for an additional year, increasing by one euro on 01 January 2021, to €8.50 / 1000 litres of zero-rated gasoil supplied.

The annual report of the ICCB (International Clearance and Coordination Body) on the annual assessment of the financing system is published on the CDNI website. The exhaustive report contains a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the factors behind the setting of the amount of the disposal charge with the aims of maintaining the equilibrium of the financing system.

The system for collecting and eliminating oily and greasy waste is based on the “polluter pays” principle implemented by means of an indirect finance mechanism at the time of bunkering and by access to reception stations throughout the CDNI’s jurisdiction.

CDNI resolution 2019-II-3

Work in progress on the electronic recording of the deposit of oily and greasy waste

A project to develop a tool for the electronic recording of the deposit of oily and greasy waste has been validated by the CPC and could commence in the first quarter of 2020. This project, welcomed by the profession, will take account of the prospective digitalisation of the used-oil log. This ambitious initiative aims in particular to facilitate the depositing of waste by dematerialising the recording process.

Ratification status of the new provisions for dealing with gaseous residues of liquid cargoes

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg published the law approving the amendments adopted by resolution CDNI 2017-I-4 of 23 December 2019 in the Official Journal, making it the first Contracting Party to ratify the text. Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have reported good progress with their national procedures. In Belgium and in France, it is still difficult to ascertain the necessary timescales for national procedures. The amendment to the Convention will come into force six months after the final instrument of ratification has been lodged with the depository authority.

The CDNI Working group is currently drawing up FAQs on degassing in order to provide specific answers to problems encountered on the ground. A dedicated webpage containing all the relevant information will be published in the first quarter of 2020.

Resolution CDNI 2017-I-4

Extension of the scope of the ban on the discharging of passenger vessel domestic wastewater

The CPC confirmed that its next meeting (01 July 2020) will include adoption of the draft resolution on the extension of the material scope of the ban on the discharging of domestic waste water to passenger vessels carrying between 12 and 50 passengers, which will come into effect on 01 January 2021, with a grace period until 2025. The draft resolution currently excludes vessels built before 30 December 2008, pending a decision by the CESNI, responsible for technical requirements, to shorten the transitional provision timescales.

2020-2021 work programme

The CPC adopted the CDNI 2020-2021 work programme. In addition to its regular tasks, the Convention’s bodies will be taking on new challenges over the next two years: developing a strategy for the future of the reception station network and the disposal charge, evaluating the legal and technical framework for de-materialising documents, publishing the 10-year assessment of the Convention, development of symbols for sorting household waste on board. The work programme can be viewed on the dedicated page.

CDNI resolution 2019-II-1

FAQ

The CPC regularly takes note of the answers to the frequently asked questions (FAQ) prepared by the CDNI/G Working group and approves their publication on the CDNI website www.cdni-iwt.org under the FAQ heading. These answers aim to facilitate application of the CDNI and to promote a consistent interpretation.

At its meeting on 18 December 2019, the CCP approved a new FAQ. Eagerly awaited by the profession, this FAQ clarifies the definitions of charterer and carrier as construed by the CDNI, who is liable to obligations both in terms of unloading conditions and liability for costs (the FAQ can be found under “Rights, obligations and responsibilities”).

2020 meetings

The next meeting of the CPC will be on 01 July 2020. All the dates for meetings, and their agendas, are available on the CDNI website’s dedicated page.