Section 5 in The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage From Ships) Rules, 2009
5. Disposal of garbage within special areas.
(1)for the purposes of these rules, the special areas are the Mediterranean Sea area, the Baltic Sea area, the Black Sea area, the Red Sea area, the Gulfs area, the North Sea area, the Antarctic area and the Wider Caribbean Region, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.Explanation. - For the purposes of Rule 5,(a)the Mediterranean Sea area means the Mediterranean Sea proper including the gulfs and seas therein with the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea constituted by the 41°N parallel and bounded to the west by the Straits of Gibraltar at the meridian 5°36' W;(b)the Baltic Sea area means the Baltic Sea proper with the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland and the entrance to the Baltic Sea hounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57°44.8'N;(c)the Black Sea area means the Black Sea proper with the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea constituted by the parallel 41 oN;(d)the Red Sea area means the Red Sea proper including the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba bounded at the south by the rhumb line between Ras si Ane (12°28.5' N, 43°19.6'E) and Husn Murad (12°408.4' N, 43°30.2 E);(e)the Gulfs area means the sea area located north-west of the rhumb line between Ras al Hadd (22°30'N, 59°48'E) and Ras al Fasteh (25°04' N, 61°25'E);(f)the North Sea area means the North Sea proper including seas therein with the boundary between -(i)the North Sea southwards of latitude 62°N and eastwards of longitude 4°W,(ii)the Skagerrak, the southern limit of which is determined east of the Skaw by latitude 57°44.8'N; and(iii)the English Channel and its approaches eastwards of longitude 5°W and northwards of latitude 48°30'N;(g)the Antarctic area means the sea south of latitude 60°S;(h)the Wider Caribbean Region, as defined in Article 2, Paragraph I of the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena de Indias, 1983), mess the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea proper including the bays and seas therein and that portion of the Atlantic Ocean withjn the boundary constituted by the 30°N' parallel from Florida eastward to 77°30' W meridian, thence a rhumb line to the intersection of 20°N parallel and 59°W meridian, thence a rhumb line to the intersection of 7°20'N parallel and 50°W meridian, thence a rhumb line drawn south-westerly to the eastern boundary of French Guiana.(2)Subject to the Rule 6, -(a)disposal into the sea of the following is prohibited, namely:(i)all plastics, including synthetic ropes, synthetic fishing nets, plastic garbage bags and incinerator ashes from plastic products containing toxic or heavy metal residues; and(ii)all other garbage, including paper products, rags, glass metal, bottles, crockery, dunnage, lining and packing materials;(b)except as provided in clause (c), disposal into the sea of food wastes shall be made as far as practicable from land, but no case, less than twelve nautical miles from the nearest land;(c)disposal into the Wider Caribbean Region of food wastes which have been passed through a comminuter or grinder shall be made as far as practicahle from land but in no case less than 3 nautical miles from the nearest land :Provided that such comminuted or ground food wastes shall be capable of passing through a screen with openings not greater than twenty-five mm(3)When the garbage is mixed with other discharges having different disposal or discharge requirements, the more stringent requirements shall be applicable.
