Cruise Ship Pollution | Transport Canada “missed the boat”

The biggest pollutant in Canadian waters escapes new measures proposed by Transport Canada to limit the amount of waste dumped by cruise ships. The government’s actions are insufficient, complain environmental groups.

Elise Fiola
The Press

Dream cruises off the Canadian coast are turning into an ecological nightmare for the oceans, studies show. Last April, Transport Canada announced new measures intended to limit the discharge of gray water (drainage from sinks, washing machines, bathtubs, showers or dishwashers) and treated black water (toilets, sewers , garbage cans) from cruise ships near the coast.

While environmental groups are positively welcoming Ottawa’s efforts, some aspects remain unfinished, they say. They do not understand why washing water from fuel purification systems is ignored by the standards in force.

“They missed the boat as they didn’t address this source of pollution in the new standards,” says Michael Bissonnette, attorney at West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL).

Current international regulations do not prohibit the use of polluting fuels such as heavy fuel oil to propel ships. However, to limit air pollution, ships must be equipped with purification systems if they use such fuels.

However, Michael Bissonnette points out that this has the effect of shifting the problem. Treatment systems limit the release of pollutants into the atmosphere, but contaminants still end up in the water.

The lawyer regrets that the measures announced by Transport Canada do not take this type of waste into account, even though it is one of the biggest sources of maritime pollution. According to a report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), even if the boats equipped with a purification system represent only one eighth of the fleet analyzed, their washing water represents 97% of the waste discharged into the ‘water.

Two-thirds of this washwater comes from cruise ships, even though cruise ships represent less than 2% of those who sail in Canadian waters each year, concludes WWF-Canada. “Cruise ships pollute much more than other ships,” notes Michael Bissonnette.

“This waste is acidic. They contain dissolved metals and hydrocarbons, which pose a range of health risks, adds Sam Davin, marine conservation and shipping specialist at WWF-Canada. These substances are readily absorbed by cell membranes. This means that they can enter the marine food chain relatively easily. »

The expert affirms that the evacuation of the washing water of the purification systems should be “immediately” prohibited by the government.

“Realistic approach” under study

In an email, Transport Canada says that while the department had indeed “not implemented washwater restrictions”, Ottawa remained “committed” to “working with the marine industry to develop an approach to reduce washwater discharges into Canadian waters in the future.

Transport Canada also states that it is “studying the impact of the discharge [des eaux de lavage] on the environment” in order to assess the different possibilities to enable their reduction.

On this subject, Michael Bissonnette points out that the use of purification systems has been prohibited in Californian waters and in the Port of Vancouver. According to him, it would therefore be possible for Canada to introduce more restrictive regulations.

Transport Canada states that until the changes proposed in April become permanent and the Vessel Pollution and Hazardous Chemicals Regulations are amended, “the measures will be implemented through an interim order , which has the same power as a regulation”.

The Department wants to make the new environmental measures mandatory for cruise ships as early as 2023. If this scenario materializes, it would put an end to a practice often denounced by ships arriving in Canadian waters.

Laws regarding the discharge of sewage may vary from country to country. As American waters are historically regulated more strictly, some ships, passing through Canadian territory, take the opportunity to dump their waste there, deplores a report published in 2021 by the environmental organizations Stand.earth and WCEL.

However, Transport Canada indicates that the regulations concerning gray and black water will be stricter than the international standards established by the International Maritime Organization. “These measures align with those in place in the United States, including Alaska, California and Washington State, and exceed them in some cases,” notes the Department.