L'inquinamento marino causato dai rifiuti prodotti dalle navi: sviluppi e tendenze evolutive

The legislation regarding marine pollution caused by ships has been developed on several regulatory levels (international, european and national) and has frequently been fragmented and heterogeneous, creating problems of application and harmonisation of the subject. The Marpol Convention 73/78, still remains the most important international ruling in force with regard to marine pollution caused by ships. In the course of the struggle against biological marine pollution, the international community adopted, on 13 th February 2004, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and sediments, which is not currently in force. On a national level, there exists the law of 8th February 2006, no. 61, which foresees the institution of ecological protected areas beyond the outer national sea limits; in these areas, the state of Italy will be able to oblige foreign ships to respect the increased safety standards (see law no. 979/82, art. 16, 17 e 20) in order to safeguard the marine environment