Baltic Sea

While passenger vessels represent a very small fraction of the approximately 2,000 ships at sea at any given time on the Baltic, we appreciate our responsibility to be part of the solution in addressing the environmental problem involving “eutrophication,” a process where high nutrient concentrations caused primarily by agricultural runoff leads to intense algae growth and oxygen depletion.

The nine member states of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) have a responsibility to contend with this environmental problem holistically, a responsibility the cruise line industry wholeheartedly supports.

HELCOM is proposing that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) designate the entire Baltic Sea as a “Special Area” under MARPOL Annex IV. This proposal would give passenger vessels two choices: reduce the nutrient level – specifically phosphate and nitrogen – in treated, discharged wastewater by 80 percent or discharge all wastewater ashore.

Despite significant advancements in wastewater treatment systems aboard cruise ships, current and emerging advanced wastewater treatment technologies cannot meet these criteria. Therefore cruise ships will be required to offload all wastewater ashore at ports reception facilities, of which there are not enough to adequately meet the discharge needs of most vessels. Up to 90% of the Baltic ports may fail to reach the IMO adequacy definition for port reception facilities for passenger ships required by MARPOL Annex IV.

As a result, faced with an almost certain non-compliance dilemma, operators may be forced to reconsider their itineraries. Smaller ports unable to bear the cost of installing upgraded, adequate reception facilities could suffer from the unintended consequences of this proposed regulation.

The cruise industry fully recognizes that despite accounting for less than 0.04 percent of the nutrient-loading problem in the Baltic Sea, our opportunities to do business in the Baltic come with responsibilities to behave in an environmentally sustainable manner. Every player in the Baltic region – land or sea – has a responsibility. This is precisely why the cruise industry entered a voluntary agreement to discharge all wastewater ashore when adequate reception facilities are available. Through this voluntary agreement, the industry has taken the first step without the need for regulation.

In October 2010, the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) accepted the Baltic states petition for the creation of special areas under MARPOL Annex IV and the designation of the Baltic as such a special area. It correspondingly assigned its Design and Equipment Subcommittee the responsibility of developing standards for sewage treatment systems onboard ships. The committee will continue its discussions with respect to the definition of adequate port reception facilities.This definition is a key issue to ensuring the practicability of the regulations.

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