According to Swedish water treatment company Marinfloc, every ship leaving a shipyard with a substandard water treatment system will pollute the oceans for the next 25 years.
This is thought to be a hidden crisis that fails to reach the public even though it is well established among those who have sailed on commercial vessels as well as most regulatory bodies, yet its impact on the marine ecosystems is potentially devastating.
Peter Lanzén, Co-founder Marinfloc said: “The Marpol Convention, which governs ship pollution, is simply not enough. The regulations allow ships to meet minimal standards, enabling them to operate with wastewater treatment systems that fail to properly handle harmful substances. These ships continue to release pollutants such as black, grey and
oily water into the oceans for decades, contributing to long-term environmental degradation.”
Despite there being fewer detentions related to Marpol Annex I violations today than in the past, this does not mean that the equipment being used is any better than it was 20 years ago. According to Lanzén, the reality is that even Port State Control seems to have lost focus in addressing the issue, no longer prioritising these inspections or holding ships accountable for failing wastewater systems.
The issue is considered to lie in the weakness of the current regulations, which set the bar too low. Shipowners comply with the bare minimum instead of investing in advanced technologies that were already available 30 years ago and remain so today. Systems are available which are capable of reducing pollutants well beyond current regulatory standards.
Lanzén added: “As it stands, there’s no incentive to adopt these technologies. Instead, loopholes allow ships to legally pollute, with no accountability for the damage they cause. Every vessel equipped with outdated systems continues to discharge waste into our seas, while we turn a blind eye to the real environmental cost.”
Marinfloc sees a simple solution; the gaps need to be closed and stricter requirements enforced, mandating the use of advanced water treatment technologies. The shipping industry needs to be accountable for its environmental footprint, and wastewater treatment must become a priority in maritime regulations.
Lanzén concluded: “This problem cannot remain hidden from the public any longer. The future of our oceans depends on immediate action. If we continue to allow ships to leave shipyards with substandard systems, we will be paying the environmental price for decades to come. This issue needs to be addressed, or our oceans will continue to suffer in silence.”
Image: Peter Lanzén, Co-founder of Marinfloc (source: Marinfloc/Orn Marketing)
