A Methodological Approach to Selecting a Location for a Waste Disposal Terminal for Vessels on the Section of the Pan-European Waterway Corridor VII in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

The section of the Pan-European Corridor VII waterway flowing through Serbia is of exceptional international significance, as well as significance to the Republic of Serbia, both in the domains of transport and of environmental protection. In this part of the Pan-European Corridor VII waterway, there is development of both passenger and freight traffic without an established system of control and management of solid waste and wastewater from vessels, which directly threatens the environment, as well as the safety of traffic and people. The crews of international and domestic vessels are faced with the problem of disposing of solid waste, waste oil and waste water, due to the lack of adequate waste terminals in this section of waterway corridor VII (The Danube River). For this reason, the construction of a waste terminal is a priority and an unavoidable necessity as a starting point for establishing a sustainable system of managing waste from vessels in the Republic of Serbia. This paper presents a methodological approach for selecting an optimal location for the construction of such a terminal in the city of Belgrade, capital of Serbia (a case study). The method of multi-criteria evaluation of potential locations was used, as well as the method of evaluating various locations under different scenarios. The specificity of the method used can be seen in the selection of criteria for comparative evaluation of the potential locations, as well as in the evaluation of the potential sites under different scenarios and with weight categories based on the PROMETHEE method. The results presented in this paper make it possible for decision makers to consider different aspects and scenarios when selecting the most appropriate location for the terminal, whilst taking into account the international standards and principles governing this field in the European Union.