CEFAS23-74 Contract for technical advice on port upgrade feasibility study in Belize

The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) was announced this year as a key bilateral aid programme under the £500m Blue Planet Fund. OCPP objectives are to support countries to tackle marine pollution, support sustainable seafood practices and establish designated, well-managed and enforced Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Through OCPP, Belize wishes to further understand current capacity, and potential future development of ports and port facilities in-country.

Key challenges faced by Belize include the decentralized management of various port facilities by private sector entities, which would require the development of separate partnership arrangements for the investment in, and operation of, expanded and upgraded waste management facilities to ensure MARPOL (The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) compliance is achieved.

The scope of work required will encompass development and presentation of an understanding of the requirements and impacts of port upgrades to deliver MARPOL-compliant waste handling and management services, inclusive of understanding the potential ramifications upon stakeholders undertaking related maritime, coastal, and terrestrial activities.

5. Scope of Requirements

a) a port(s) upgrade project feasibility study, inclusive of a needs & gap analysis, including assessment of, and consultation with, the necessary stakeholders involved in port operations and associated waste management/logistics. b) provide socio-economic and environmental assessment of the ramifications of increased activity within the maritime sector to accommodate MARPOL-compliant disposal and remediation of waste materials in accordance with the provisions of the standards and guidelines (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) (imo.org)). c) examine infrastructural interventions which may merit investment for introduction to port(s) facilities in Belize, inclusive of cost estimates and technology readiness level (TRL) of each potential intervention to achieve varied levels of MARPOL compliance.

d) identify potential socio-economic and environmental impacts upon stakeholders including port(s) operators, and those in the vicinity of port(s) locations or peripheral spaces influenced by port(s) operators, in consideration of concurrent marine spatial planning being undertaken at a national level. e) determine capacity and interest in port(s) incorporating MARPOL-compliant waste management services as addendum to current business models. f) recognize potential efficiency improvements which may be realized with existing resources to improve functionality in lieu of increased MARPOL compliance accommodations across the port(s) operations.