Elimination of discharges of sewage from ships

Closed

Eliminate the discharges of sewage from ships, especially from passenger ships, by following-up the proposal by HELCOM to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to designate the Baltic Sea as a control area for sewage discharges from passenger ships, whereby cruise and passenger ships will be required to treat their sewage to remove nutrients or deliver it to port reception facilities. The HELCOM member countries led by Finland initiated a process in the IMO that led to the final adoption at the organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 62nd Meeting in July 2011 of the Baltic Sea as the first sea in the world designated by IMO as a Special Area for sewage under MARPOL Annex IV. All passenger ships operating within the Baltic Sea Special Area will be required to treat sewage on board, to remove nutrients prior to the discharge into the sea, or to deliver it to a port reception facility (PRF). It will be mandatory for new and existing passenger ships to comply with the anti-discharge regulations by 2016 and 2018 respectively. The Special Area status will be enforced when the HELCOM countries notify the IMO that adequate reception facilities for sewage are available in their passenger ports.

Medium