Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships Introduction

The most important convention regulating and preventing pollution of the marine environment by ships is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships ( MARPOL).Annex IV- Prevention of Pollution by sewage from ships. Annex IV deals with the discharge of sewage into the sea, ships equipment and systems for control of sewage, and requirements for survey and certification. It is generally considered that on the high seas, the oceans are capable of assimilating and dealing with raw sewage through natural bacterial action and therefore the regulations in annex IV of MARPOL prohibit ships from discharging sewage with in a specified distance of the nearest land, unless they have in operation an approved treatment plant. Annex IV entered into force internationally on 27 September 2003 and for Australia on 27 May 2004. A revised Annex IV was adopted on 1 April 2004 and entered into force on 1 August 2005. The revised Annex will apply to new ships engaged in international voyages, of 400 gross tonnage and above or which are certified to carry more than 15 persons. Existing ships will be required to comply with the provisions of the revised Annex IV five years after the date of entry into force of Annex IV, namely from 27 September 2008. The Annex requires ships to be equipped with either a sewage treatment plant or a sewage comminuting and disinfecting system or a sewage holding tank. The discharge of sewage into the sea will be prohibited, except when the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant or is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage using an approved system at a distance of more than three nautical miles from the nearest land; or is discharging sewage which is not comminuted or disinfected at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land. TYPES OF SEWAGE Sewage is the drainage and other wastes from any form of toilet, urinal or any other waste water when mixed with such drainages. Incorporated within this description, the term sewage includes human faecal wastes. Sewage does not include grey-water (waste water from showers and sinks) unless it is mixed with any of the above.

Any sewage discharged from a vessel will be either one of the following two categories: (i) treated sewage or (ii) untreated sewage.

TREATED SEWAGE Treated sewage is sewage that has passed through an onboard sewage treatment system and has three distinct grades, that is, Grade A, Grade B and Grade C treated sewage. Grade C is the lowest level of treatment, Grade B is a higher level of treatment and Grade A is the highest level of treatment. Macerated sewage is not treated sewage. UNTREATED SEWAGE Untreated sewage (or raw sewage) is all sewage that has not passed through a treatment system. This is sewage that is discharged directly from a toilet into a waterway (in areas where discharge is permitted) or contained in an onboard holding tank. Any untreated sewage that is discharged, in areas where the discharge of untreated sewage is permitted, must first pass through a macerator. Macerated sewage is untreated sewage. TREATMENT SYSTEM A treatment system is a system for treating sewage that can reduce the levels of sewage quality characteristics below the levels outlined in the legislation for the relevant grade of treatment for that particular system (that is Grade A, B or C treated sewage) and conforms with the standards for a treatment system outlined in the legislation. In summary, the key aspects of the standard states that the system must: a. include documentation of the system's performance under normal operating conditions, including: i.a statement of the levels of sewage quality characteristics remaining in sewage after it has been treated. ii.the name and address of the independent testing entity that assessed the performance. iii. the date and results of the assessment. b. include comprehensive and durable manuals for operating and maintaining the system. c. be installed, operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

d. be fitted with a malfunction indicator. As outlined above, a treatment system must meet very specific criteria and perform a complex process. As such, the simple act of throwing a handful of chlorine (or some other chemical) into the toilet bowl before flushing or passing sewage through a macerator before discharge does not meet the requirements for a treatment system.

Note: a. All treatment systems must be maintained and assessed at the required intervals. b. Written service records must be kept for the maintenance and assessment of the treatment system. REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSESSMENT OF ONBOARD SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS Section 55 of the Transport Operations ( Maritine Pollution ) Regulation 2008 requires that the owner and master of a ship fitted with a treatment system, must ensure that the treatment system: a. is assessed by an independent testing entity to ensure that it continues to treat the sewage to the levels for the grade of treated sewage stated in schedule 7, of the Transport Operations ( Marine Pollution ) Regulation 2008for the treatment system, at the following intervals after the system has been fitted to the ship: i. for declared ships: At least annually for the first two years. Afterwards, at least every two years. ii. or all other ships (non-declared ships): atleast once in the first five years afterwards, at least every two years b. s maintained, at least, at the intervals and in the manner stated in the system service manual.

An independent testing entity is an entity that is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities as competent to perform the analyses required for Grade A, Grade B or Grade C treated sewage and performs such analyses in Australia. TYPES OF VESSELS
All vessels are defined as either one of the following two categories: (i) a declared ship or (ii) any other ship, that is a non-declared ship.

1.DECLARED SHIP
A declared ship is a class 1 commercially registered passenger carrying vessel fitted with a toilet. In recognition of their potentially greater sewage generating capacity, declared ships must adhere to more stringent sewage discharge requirements. These include:

2.OTHER SHIP ( NON-DECLARED SHIP ) Other ships, or non-declared ships, include all recreational vessels and all class 2 and class 3 commercial vessels. SEWAGE DISPOSAL IN THE OCEAN ( AFFECTING MARINE ECOSYSTEM ) Although it's hard to imagine raw sewage being dumped into the ocean, it happens on a regular basis. The oceans are vast and can break down this vile liquid, but it still causes many adverse effects on marine life. Sewage includes "black water" from toilets and also water from laundry, food preparation and sinks, referred to as "gray water". Imagine all of the toxic cleaning products and other household substances that are flushed down the sink finding their way into the ocean! Sometimes, sludge from sewage treatment is also dumped into the ocean. Consider what happens when it rains and all of the grime from the streets is washed into the sewer system, which could eventually wash out to sea. Sewage is another major form of ocean pollution. Sewage can cause Massive nutrient loading in the oceans, which leads to algal blooms, effectively decreasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Once oxygen levels are depleted, many organisms can die due to lack of oxygen. Other problems associated with sewage include the presence of parasites and bacteria, which can cause beach and shellfish harvesting closures. Unfortunately, there are still many cities around the world that have little to no sewage treatment. As the world population continues to increase, its expected that the sewage problem will only worsen. All of what we put down the drains eventually reaches the oceans. This includes everything from our homes (toilets, washing machines,

bathtubs, dishwashers and so forth), industrial effluents and even chemicals such as paints and fertilizers that we dispose of down the drains. The build-up of sewage pollution adds up to serious problems in the ocean such as a lack of available oxygen for organisms and poisoned water.

SOLUTIONS We can help preserve the worlds oceans by producing less pollution. Due to growing concern about their health and environmental effects, PCBs have been effectively banned in North America (although some eastern European and developing countries still use them). New regulations have been made to make sure that older equipment containing PCBs is carefully handled to avoid spills or leaks. Thanks to improved technology and waste treatment techniques, industrial pollution is not as bad as it used to be in the developed world and new laws and regulations make it difficult for people to dump their trash into the oceans. People have been reducing sewage output by installing better treatment facilities. To arrive at this goal, countries with sound sewage treatment facilities already in place should assist developing countries improve their sewage facilities. Many parts of the world have reduced non-point pollution through proper recycling facilities for used oil and paint products. Globally, many communities try to help our oceans by participating in beach cleanups. Reducing pollutants in the worlds oceans is a major challenge. With right effort and determination it is possible to reduce harmful impacts on the oceans caused by pollutants. We owe it to the oceans and their precious plants and animals to meet this challenge.