GBA Update Summer 2024

Viking Cruises Canada

Pearl Seas Cruises

Ponant

Hapag Lloyd

• 230 guests

• Viking Octantis: 378 guests • Viking Polaris: 378 guests

• 210 guest

• Le Dumont D’urville: 184 guests • Le Bellot: 184 guests

Capacity

• Length 452 feet & Beam 72 feet

• Information unavailable on website

• Le Dumont D’urville: Length 430 feet & Beam 59 feet • Le Bellot: Length 430 feet & Beam 59 feet

• Viking Octantis: Length 665 feet & Beam 77 feet • Viking Polaris: Length 665 feet & Beam 77 feet

Size

Advanced wastewater treatment system

Evac ORCA Type II MSD

No information available Biological sewage treatment plants

Black water treatment

No information available No information available

No information available

All greywater is collected; some are blended with the blackwater and treated through the system above. There is no separate greywater treatment system, but how the non commingled greywater is treated/discharged was undetermined.

Grey water Treatment

All of the Georgian Bay area revealed some concerning gaps in information. All ports, except Little Current, confirmed that no cruise ships discharged their blackwater at the port. Except for Killarney and Little Current, all ports confirmed that the cruise ships do not dispose of their garbage at their ports. However, the cruise lines would not disclose where they discharge their waste. We wanted to investigate whether the cruise ships were discharging their blackwater and greywater at the port. We discovered that none of the cruise ships were discharging their waste at the port. However, we could not contact Ponant to confirm their waste discharge practices. This lack of information raises concerns about the transparency of waste management practices in the industry. We also asked the cruise lines to verify if they had onboard treatment systems. All the cruise lines, except Ponant, confirmed they had onboard treatment systems. However, we could not determine how the greywater was collected and treated or if it was discharged overboard. This became a concern when reviewing the regulations. There are several laws, regulations, and policies that the cruise ships that enter Georgian Bay follow. We specifically looked at those regarding blackwater and greywater discharge/treatment: ≥ International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex IV Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships (entered into force 27 September 2003) https://bit.ly/TC-sewage ≥ Canada Shipping Act (2001): Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemicals Regulations https://bit.ly/CSA-pollution

Our research of the greywater literature revealed two areas of confusion within the regulations: designated sewage areas and the discharge of greywater. The Canada Shipping Act designates certain bodies of water as sewage areas, but none are in Ontario, including Georgian Bay.

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www.georgianbay.ca

GBA UPDATE Summer 2024

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