New regulations in the UK will help to control the discharge of sewage into waters.
The new regulations relate to ships over 400GT in weight and also ships weighing less than 400GT but certified to carry more than 15 people. This means that the changes would overwhelmingly affect the cruise ship industry. An average cruise ship now carries some 2,000 passengers and 900 crew, and produces around 94,500 litres of human waste per day.
While newly built cruise ships have already been fitted with sewage treatment plants, older and smaller vessels will need to be upgraded before they are issued with sewage prevention certificates.
The UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will provide inspections for the new regulations. These apply to UK-flagged ships that sail from the UK on international voyages and also to similar non-UK-flagged ships travelling in UK waters.
