In doing so, the Port of Tallinn complies with the requirements of European Union directive on the reception and handling of waste from ships, the main goal of which is to prevent marine pollution by reducing the amount of ship’s waste dumped at sea. The dumping of waste from ships at sea can be reduced by requiring all ships to deliver their waste to the port reception facilities before departure. Pursuant to the directive and HELCOM, ships are obliged to report and to hand over waste and the system for charging waste fees must be transparent, fair and independent of the quantity of the waste being disposed of.

Reception of waste from ships at the harbours of the Port of Tallinn takes place in accordance with the Port of Tallinn waste from ships reception and handling plan.

Environmental requirements in the field of waste from ships:

• 2019 – new passenger and cruise ships are now prohibited from dumping waste water into the sea (all wastewater generated must be disposed of in port);
• 2020 – update to the directive on ship-generated waste and cargo residues (the waste fee must be paid by fishing vessels and recreational craft as well);
• 2021 – all passenger and cruise ships are now prohibited from dumping waste water into the sea (all wastewater generated must be disposed of in port).