Wastewater Management

There are strict standards for how clean the wastewater must be before it is discharged into the sea. Our industry has designed and implemented treatment technologies along with practices and procedures to meet – and in some cases exceed – these requirements. CLIA members are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in innovations and technology to reduce the impact of cruise ships on the waters and ecosystems through and around which our vessels sail.

Where does cruise ship waste go graphCruise lines operate within a complex scheme of international environmental standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships(MARPOL) sets strict standards for all commercial vessels to prevent ship-generated pollution. In addition, in 2001, the industry adopted aCruise Industry Waste Management Practices and Procedures which cover, among other things, the discharge or disposal of graywater, blackwater, solid waste, and hazardous waste. The cruise lines have agreed to incorporate all of the waste stream standards, including those set forth in MARPOL, into their legally required and enforceable Safety Management Systems, which are inspected by port states such as the U.S. Coast Guard. These standards are reviewed and revised when necessary.

Many lines are at various stages in employing advanced wastewater purification systems (AWPS) onboard their ships. These AWPS produce an effluent that is cleaner than that discharged from most municipalities. Cruise lines have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the research, development, testing and application of these systems onboard many of our ships. Any blackwater or graywater (water from accommodation sinks and showers, laundry and galleys) discharged in U.S. waters by CLIA’s oceangoing fleet is treated by an AWPS in accordance with industry protocols. Beyond U.S. waters, and anywhere else our ships sail, in accordance with CLIA’s Waste Management Practices and Procedures, member cruise lines treat all blackwater through a Type II Marine Sanitation Device (approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for all vessels in U.S. ports) or an AWPS.

In early 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new and expanded rules under theVessel General Permit System that regulate any and all forms of vessel discharge, including those not previously covered by the U.S. Clean Water Act. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program regulate no less than 26 discharges incidental to the normal operation of vessels, encompassing even rain water runoff and engine cooling water. Everything discharged into U.S. waters from commercial ships is now regulated. Our “Cruise Industry Waste Management Practices and Procedures” standard already addressed most of the new EPA requirements.

In December 2008 Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report, the EPA commended the industry for its solid waste management practices, which surpass the practices of most municipalities in the U.S. The report concluded that the cruise ship industry’s environmental standards are “designed to increase compliance with regulatory regimes, and in some cases incorporate voluntary standards and procedures that go beyond what is required by law or regulation.”

Links: