PRF (Port Reception Facility)

A port reception facility is a shore installation that receives ship-generated wastes (oily residues, sewage, garbage, and exhaust-gas-cleaning residues) so they need not be discharged at sea. MARPOL obliges ports to provide adequate facilities for the wastes from the ships that use them, and inadequate PRFs are a long-standing complaint because they push operators toward illegal discharge. The IMO runs a database and reporting system for facility adequacy.