Do Cruise Ships Dump Their Sewage In The Ocean

According to Friends of the Earth a non-governmental environmental group which used the US Environmental Protection Agency data to calculate that a single 3000 person cruise ship pumps 150000 gallons of sewage into the ocean per week.

Do cruise ships dump their sewage in the ocean. It is also legal for the cruise industry to dump raw untreated sewage in the ocean once a ship is more than three miles from the US. Federal law requires that cruise ships only dump treated wastewater if they are within three nautical miles of shore. All cruise ship sewage goes through what is called sewage treatment where solid and liquid waste is separated and sterilized then the solid is incinerated and the liquid is released back into the ocean.

Yes you read that correctly Most cruise ships are equipped with a modern wastewater management system onboard complete with engineers who monitor the treatment of waste that goes down the drains and toilets on the ship. As a practical matter treated waaste hopefully very well treated constitutes part of the. A common misconception is that once a ship is out in the open ocean they dump human waste into the water.

Three miles from shore the cruise ships that flock to the Caribbean cross a boundary where the sea becomes a dump for metal glass and other waste that is flushed overboard. Alaska has additional regulations for dumping near its waterways. It is perfectly legal for cruise ships to dump treated sewage in the ocean as long as they are three miles offshore.

Ships can dump treated sewage anywhere in the ocean except in Alaskan waters where companies must comply with higher state standards. If dumping untreated sewage the ship must be located at least 12 miles offshore moving not less than four knots and using an approved discharge rate. The sewage on the cruise ship includes the wastewater from the bathrooms toilets urinals medical premises and other similar facilities.

One vessel in an EPA study produced. When it comes to handling treatment and disposal of sewage on the ship. In fact according to the latest Cruise Ship Report Card by Friends of the Earth they might be about the worst.

We have sewage treatment plants onboard cruise ships or any ships. It is perfectly legal for cruise ships to dump treated sewage in the ocean as long as they are three miles offshore. Indeed in 2016 Princess Cruises was fined a record 32 million for the.