Amendments to MARPOL Annex IV coming into force in June 2021:
London Protocol: Protecting the oceans - ban on disposal at sea of sewage sludge proposed
The amendments to MARPOL Annex IV impose restrictions on the discharge of untreated sewage from passenger ships (those carrying more than 12 passengers) in the Baltic Sea Special Area. This means that from the relevant effective dates (as mentioned below), passenger ships operating in the Baltic Sea will be obliged to either treat their wastewater by using an approved sewage treatment plant (meeting effluent standards in accordance with the resolutions MEPC.227(64) and MEPC.284(70)), or discharge it when in port by using port reception facilities (PRFs).
• 1 June 2019 for new passenger ships (ships for which the building contract is placed on or after 1 June 2019, or the delivery of which is on or after 1 June 2021)
• 1 June 2021 for existing passenger ships (not new ships, as mentioned above), other than those specified below
• 1 June 2023 for existing passenger ships en route between a port outside the special area and a port located east of longitude 28˚10′ E (i.e., Russian part of the Gulf of Finland), not making any other port calls within the special area.
Members operating passenger ships in the Baltic Sea area need to be aware of these requirements and ensure logistical arrangements are in place for discharge of untreated sewage to port reception facilities.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
Author: Louis Gyan Kofi
