Transport Canada Tightens Cruise Wastewater Rules Near Shore
Between three and 12 nautical miles, discharges must pass through marine sanitation devices that meet Canadian requirements; records must be kept for two years.
Transport Canada has tightened cruise ship sewage and greywater discharge rules in Canadian waters under a new interim order that took effect June 11. The measure bars cruise ships from discharging sewage or releasing greywater within three nautical miles of shore, an ice shelf or fast ice, unless an exception applies.
Minister of Transport Steven MacKinnon signed Interim Order No. 4 Respecting the Discharge of Sewage and the Release of Greywater by Cruise Ships in Canadian Waters in Ottawa on June 7. The order was issued under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, after MacKinnon determined it was needed to address a direct or indirect risk to marine safety or the marine environment.
Which ships are covered
The order applies to passenger vessels other than ferries that carry passengers for at least 24 hours, are certified for more than 100 people and have berths or cabins for overnight travel. In practical terms, the rules cover cruise ships operating in Canadian waters across the country’s coasts.
Where discharges are still allowed
Between three and 12 nautical miles from shore, an ice shelf or fast ice, sewage and greywater discharges are allowed only if they pass through a marine sanitation device that meets Canadian requirements. The treated effluent must have a fecal coliform count of 14 per 100 mL or less, contain no visible solids and leave no sheen, discoloration or emulsion on the water.
The order also includes exceptions for safety situations, geographic constraints and cases where no adequate onshore reception facility is available. In Arctic waters, qualifying discharges must be made at a moderate rate while the ship is underway at a minimum speed of four knots.
Reporting and certificate requirements
Cruise operators must report authorized discharges to a marine safety inspector and maintain a discharge record book for two years. Ships must also keep required certificates onboard, including an International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate where applicable.
That certificate is the MARPOL Annex IV document issued after survey for ships subject to the convention’s sewage pollution controls. Annex IV covers sewage discharge, shipboard sewage systems, port reception facilities and survey and certification requirements.
The Canada Shipping Act is Canada’s core statute for ship safety and marine environmental protection. Amendments made in 2019 gave the transport minister authority to issue interim orders that take effect immediately when rapid action is needed to address marine safety or environmental risks.
The interim-order mechanism is temporary. Under the Act, such orders can last for up to one year. If Transport Canada wants the new cruise discharge controls to continue beyond that window, it will need to replace them through another legal instrument.
