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Press
Releases - 2000
Disposal
of dredged sediment must comply with the law
In response
to media enquiries, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection
Department (EPD) said today (September 5) that the disposal
of dredged sediment outside Hong Kong must be done in accordance
with the local legislation and the London Convention (the
Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping
of Wastes and Other Matters).
According
to the Dumping at Sea Ordinance (DASO), a permit is required
for loading of dredged spoil onto a barge or other vessel
in cases where the spoil is to be dumped outside Hong Kong
waters.
Before
such a permit is issued, the applicant is required to obtain
a permit issued by the appropriate authorities outside Hong
Kong permitting the marine dumping.
Under
the London Convention, mud transfer between contracting parties
for dumping is not prohibited provided that there is previous
consent between parties.
In the
case of Container Terminal 9 (CT9), a loading permit was issued
by the EPD to the contractor after it had obtained a dumping
permit from the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), the appropriate
authorities outside Hong Kong, for the disposal of its dredged
sediment at a designated area near Erzhou Island.
The spokesman
said: "We understand that the SOA has tested samples of the
sediment of the CT9 project and the results of the tests are
consistent with the data previously provided by the EPD.
"Based
on its testing results, the SOA issued a permit for the CT9
contractor to dispose of the dredged mud near Erzhou Island."
End/Tuesday,
September 5, 2000
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