The discharge of sewage from passenger ships within a Special Area is generally be prohibited under the new regulations, except when the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant which has been certified by the Administration (see resolution MEPC.
Special Areas are defined as certain sea areas in which, for technical reasons relating to their oceanographical and ecological condition and to their sea traffic, the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution is required.
Physico-chemical treatment. Sewage – The problem. The main sources of human-produced sewage are land-based - such as municipal sewers or treatment plants. However, the discharge of sewage into the sea from ships also contributes to marine pollution.
The IMO's MARPOL Annex IV regulations permit three ways of discharging ship's sewage into the sea; 1) via an approved sewage treatment plant, 2) via an approved comminuting and disinfecting system at a distance of more than three nautical miles from the nearest land, or 3) at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles
(1) The International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (1973) shall be issued for a period specified by the Administration, which shall not exceed five years from the date of issue, except as provided in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4) of this regulation.
Annex V of the MARPOL Convention aims to eliminate and reduce the amount of garbage being dumped into the sea from ships. Its terms include all kinds of food, domestic and operational waste that are likely to be disposed of during the normal operation of the ship.
Special areas means sea area where for recognized technical reasons in relation to its oceanographical and ecological condition and to the particular character of its traffic the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution by oil/NLS/garbage is required.
Annex VII – Regulation for the prevention of pollution by Ballast Water form ships. Annex VIII – Regulation for the prevention of pollution by Toxic Paints from ships.
MARPOL permits unprocessed food waste to be discharged into the sea from vessels proceeding at a distance not less than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
Quantities of oil residues (sludge) retained on board. The quantity should be recorded weekly1: (This means that the quantity must be recorded once a week even if the voyage lasts more than one week.) .
Under MARPOL Annex V, every ship of 400 gross tonnage and above, and every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons engaged in international voyages is required to maintain a Garbage Record Book.
Batteries are again an environmental hazard and should be disposed off ashore to approved shore reception facilities. Batteries could also be recycled onboard using special units / devices leading to separation of Lithium, Lead and Cadmium.
Each entry should highlight the position of the ship, the date and time of the operation, an estimate of the amount and a description of the type of garbage. The Master of the ship signs each page after it is completed. The record should be kept for two years once the book is completed.
Emission Control Areas (ECAs), or Sulfur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), are sea areas in which stricter controls were established to minimize airborne emissions from ships as defined by Annex VI of the 1997 MARPOL Protocol.
Any oily mixture or oil effluent discharge from the cargo area of an oil tanker into the sea which comes under special area shall be prohibited. In respect of the special area of Antarctica, any discharge into the sea of oily or mixtures from any ships shall be prohibited.
The ash from the combustion of some plastic products may contain heavy metal or other residues which can be toxic and should therefore not be discharged into the sea. Such ashes should be retained on board, where possible, and discharged at port reception facilities.
Cooking oil can be burned in an incinerator, provided it does not get into bilge/sludge systems.
The main objective of what is known as the MARPOL 73/78 Agreement, in force at present, is to achieve the complete elimination of intentional marine environment pollution by hydrocarbons and other harmful substances, and to reduce the accidental discharging of such substances.
Annex VI of the MARPOL treaty is the main international treaty addressing air pollution prevention requirements from ships. Annex VI requirements comprise both engine-based and fuel-based standards, and apply to U.S. flagged ships wherever located and to non-U.S. flagged ships operating in U.S. waters.
When making entries in the Garbage Record Book, what unit of measurement is used? Cubic Meter by category of garbage.
A Garbage Management Plan on board provides a systematic approach to the disposal and control of garbage in the marine environment. Even though it doesn't have to be approved or certified by a RO, a company's Garbage Management Plan is vital onboard in order to ensure effective compliance with Annex V of MARPOL.
A Responsible officer is to be in charge for maintaining garbage management plan on ship. Normally chief officer is responsible along with 2ndengineer (engine department).
Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, nor toxic waste products.
Domestic waste is waste that is generated as a result of the ordinary day-to-day use of a domestic premise and is either: collected by or on behalf of a local government as part of a waste collection and disposal system.
1 Waste separation. It is difficult to recycle materials once different wastes have been mixed together, so the first stage of the recycling process is to separate the materials into different categories.
disposal into the sea of garbage specified in subparagraph(b)(ii) of this regulation may be permitted when it has passed through a comminuter or grinder and made as far as practicable from the nearest land but in any case is prohibited if the distance from the nearest land is less than 3 nautical miles.
