Working Conditions Aboard the Boston-Harmony

On Oct 21, 2019, a joint inspection of the "Boston Harmony" was carried out by officials of the water police Brake, Stade and Bremen, who used this control for a routine exchange of experience. The ship has been specifically inspected for compliance with marine environmental protection regulations. These included, i.a. the rules for dealing with oil residues, the sulfur content of the fuel, the ship's sewage and the ship's garbage. The officers noticed an overflowing garbage collection area in the rudder room. A garbage disposal was initially not registered in the garbage declaration. The captain stated, however, that this was intended during the 5-day stay in the port of Brake. The estimated 5 cbm garbage bags and incineration ash as well as 10 cbm cargo remains had to be disposed of in consultation with the Port Authority, as the destination port was outside the EU. The Philippine captain agreed and was very cooperative. He was informed that there would be a follow-up inspection. On Oct 23, the ship was re-entered and the garbage station visited. At the first look all the garbage had been disposed ofA The second look behind the barrier showed that there were 11 buckets with lid, which were handwritten with the word "sludge" which were not visible at the first inspection. Such oil sludge is waste the disposal of which is subject to strict rules. The residues may be stored on ships only in the designated tanks. This form of storage was not permitted and thus constituted a criminal offense according to §326 Penal Code, the unauthorized handling of waste To secure the criminal proceedings, the engineer and the captain had to deposit by order of the district court of Oldenburg a security of 500 Euros each. German report with photo: https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/119277/4414120