Pollution Monitoring at SDSC, ISRO

Maritime transport carries approximately 90% of global trade. With the growth of maritime trade over the years, regulating and preventing marine pollution caused by ship discharges has become increasingly important. To manage this issue, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) defined MARPOL regulations, which prohibit ships from discharging waste into open seas and put the onus on governments to receive ship-generated waste at the ports.

The port reception facility at Sohar Port and Free Zone in Oman is the Gulf region’s first marine pollution waste discharge facility. It was set up by Re Sustainability Ltd (erstwhile Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited) through a joint venture company, Oman Maritime Waste Treatment, with Khimji Ramdas of Oman and Nature Group of Netherlands.

The project involved setting up a facility compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) Resolution MEPC.83(44), ensuring the environmentally sound disposal of ship-generated waste. The integrated treatment plant is capable of handling approximately 50,000 cubic meters of ship waste annually. Additionally, the facility operates its own vessel to collect waste from ships anchored in the Sohar Port anchorage area. The collected waste is transferred to an onshore plant, which treats the waste through a combination of physicochemical and biological treatment technologies and recovers oils from the waste water. The treated water is then safely discharged back to the sea.

ReSL has also established its presence in Houston, USA, to provide MARPOL waste collection services. This and the Sohar facility have enabled ReSL to establish global standards in sustainable and innovative solutions that ensure cleaner seas and enhance efficiency of the maritime industry.