Waste Management
As a Shipowner, Shih Wei recognizes that shipboard waste can significantly impact the ocean if not properly managed. Waste streams include domestic waste, cooking oil and food waste, plastics, e-waste, cargo residues, fishing gear, and animal carcasses.
Waste Management Policies and Practices
To prevent marine pollution, the Company updated its Garbage Management Plan, effective 1 March 2018, pursuant to IMO MEPC Resolution MEPC.277(70), which governs collection, handling, storage, and discharge procedures for the fleet in accordance with the Guidelines for the Development of Garbage Management Plans to advance the goal of waste reduction and environmental protection.
Shipboard waste is generated from normal operations and therefore requires continuous or periodic management. To reduce waste at source, the Company introduced RO maifan filtration systems in 2024 to replace plastic bottled water previously purchased by crew members. This initiative enhances crew health and well-being while significantly reducing plastic waste.
The Company targets a 1% reduction in total plastic waste in the first year, followed by a 3% annual reduction thereafter, with the goal of reducing approximately 200,000 plastic bottles within five years. Installation of RO maifan filtration systems reached 46% of the fleet in 2024 and was completed across the entire fleet in 2025.
Garbage compactors are installed on board to reduce waste volume and improve handling efficiency. Incinerable waste is treated using onboard incinerators in accordance with regulatory requirements, while other waste is segregated and stored for disposal or recycling by licensed contractors at port. All waste handling activities are recorded in the Garbage Record Book to ensure transparency and traceability, contributing to the protection of the marine environment.
Headquarter as a general office environment, waste is generated mainly from routine activities. If not properly managed, it may increase environmental burdens (resource loss, landfill pressure). In alignment with Company policy and applicable regulations, we sort waste into general waste and recyclables (paper, PET bottles, and metal cans) and engage a licensed cleaning company for unified handling. Recyclables are properly recovered; the remainder is treated via incineration or landfilling as required.
In 2024, the Company continued to require 100% reusable lunch boxes for meetings and prohibited single-use tableware. Through employee bring-your-own practices and partnerships with nearby restaurants to provide customized reusable meal services, municipal waste was effectively reduced. In addition, confidential documents are now destroyed via hydropulpinginstead of incineration to reduce GHG emissions, further advancing environmental goals.
Ship Waste Management Process
Shih Wei Navigation’s Waste Management Plan came into effect on March 1, 2018, strictly requiring all ships to manage waste in accordance with this Plan for effective waste management to prevent environmental pollution. Sea crews are also required to fill in the Garbage Record Book when disposing waste.
Ship waste treatment must be explained from the source of waste. "Ship waste" refers to various food wastes, domestic wastes, operational wastes, all plastics, cargo residues, cooking oil, fishing gear, animal carcasses, etc., generated during the normal operation of the ship that requires continuous or regular treatment.
Due to limited storage space on board, in addition to proper waste classification, waste reduction is also necessary. To minimize ship waste generation, the fleet follows the waste management principles and measures stipulated in the Waste Management Plan. All crew members are required to bring as few items that may generate waste as possible and to choose reusable items and containers. Combustible waste is incinerated in accordance with the design of onboard incinerators and regulatory requirements to achieve waste reduction. During port calls, waste disposal contractors are engaged based on the current waste storage situation to collect and recycle or treat the waste onshore, reducing waste disposal at sea and contributing to environmental protection.
The most common ship waste is food waste, which is generated daily. Its main treatment method follows the regulations of MARPOL 73/78 Annex V, and it can only be discharged into the sea in specific areas after proper processing. Next are domestic waste and cargo residues; however, plastic waste and domestic waste are prohibited from being discharged into the sea. Other waste is treated through onboard incineration (such as domestic waste) or sent for onshore recycling. For more details, please refer to the explanation in the table - Statistics of various types of waste treatment by the fleet in the past three years. The treatment process of ship waste is as follows:
Statistics of different types of waste treated by the fleet in the past three years
Unit: Metric ton(s)
| Garbage Categories | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Disposal method(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic | 9.280 | 7.219 | 10.918 | Incineration, port reception |
| Food wastes | 137.898 | 105.346 | 101.368 | Ocean dumping, incineration, port reception |
| Domestic wastes | 28.142 | 18.483 | 33.865 | Incineration, port reception |
| Cooking oil | 1.970 | 2.572 | 2.352 | Incineration, port reception |
| Incinerator ash (combustion residue) |
5.297 | 7.226 | 8.912 | Port reception |
| Operational wastes | 42.635 | 31.254 | 27.944 | Port reception |
| Animal carcasses | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Ocean dumping |
| Fishing gear | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Port reception |
| Electronic waste | 6.059 | 2.413 | 6.489 | Port reception |
| Cargo residues (free from harm to the marine environment) |
151.784 | 236.292 | 676.263 | Ocean dumping, port reception |
| Cargo residues (harmful to the marine environment) |
0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Port reception |
| Total | 383.063 | 410.805 | 868.111 |
Note:
- Onboard incineration is used to reduce the volume of waste requiring subsequent handling.
- “Port reception” means wastes are handed over via the port agent to a contractor approved by the port authority and treated in accordance with local regulations; the final treatment pathway of port-received waste cannot be traced by the Company.
- Shipboard wastes are measured in cubic meters (m³) and converted to metric tons using category-specific conversion factors; totals are the sum of converted figures, rounded to three decimals.
- Fleet waste data are sourced from each vessel’s Garbage Record Book.
- Port reception entries are supported by port facility manifests.