“The people who participated in the meeting decided that the best way to render the waste harmless in Estonia was to take it through the Port of Sillamäe to the Vaivara hazardous waste treatment centre for utilisation. The contractor is AS EcoPro, which deals with hazardous waste treatment. They will take the waste and treat it according to requirements,” said Head of the Waste Department of the Ministry of the Environment Peeter Eek. “The oily fraction will be separated in the course of processing and it will be burnt with other oily waste. Since the waste contains 90% water, then the sediment that will be left over after the water is processed will be taken to the Vaivara landfill, which has been built for hazardous waste," he said to explain how the waste from the ship will be rendered harmless. In order to transport the waste from Paldiski to Sillamäe as efficiently as possible, the Probo Koala will sail from the Port of Paldiski to Sillamäe under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment. Transporting the waste with a ship belonging to NT Marine was considered at first, but as the matter is urgent, it was decided to deliver the waste for road transport to Sillamäe directly from aboard the Probo Koala. A representative of the Ministry of the Environment will be present on the ship. Road transport from the Port of Sillamäe to the Vaivara hazardous waste treatment centre will be organised by EcoPro. According to the ship’s agent, rendering the waste of the Probo Koala harmless will cost at least 2.5 million Estonian kroons. The Probo Koala will leave Paldiski today and transport of the waste to Vaivara by road will start tomorrow. “In order to utilise the waste in Vaivara, they need to have the so-called safety certificate, which in the given case is based on the analyses made in the fuel laboratory of the Environmental Research Centre,” said Eek. “We have the prosecutor’s permission to use the sample results in this manner." The case of the Probo Koala has created a discussion on the level of the European Union about whether it is necessary to amend the requirements to informing about and supervision of handing over waste from ships. Representatives of the Ministry of the Environment, the Environmental Inspectorate and EcoPro, the ship’s agent, and lawyers from two law offices took part in the meeting. Further information: Peeter Eek, Head of the Waste Department of the Ministry of the Environment Tel. 626 2884 GSM 516 5291 |
