Key points
- These vessels can carry as many as 3,000 passengers
- They often operate in coastal waters
- EPA estimates put the number of cruise ships operating worldwide at more than 230
ISLAMABAD: Cruise ships are akin to floating cities, providing many of the same services that small cities or towns provide to their citizens.
These vessels can carry as many as 3,000 passengers and crew members, and often operate in coastal waters.
As the cruise ship industry continues to expand, there is an increasing concern about the environmental impacts of cruise ship discharges, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
EPA estimates put the number of cruise ships operating worldwide at more than 230.
With hundreds of staff and thousands of passengers, cruise ships produce enormous amounts of garbage. And it all has to go somewhere, which leaves some people wondering, are cruise ships allowed to dump waste in the ocean?
Legally permitted
According to Friends of the Earth, cruise ships are legally permitted to dump sewage into the ocean, and they do, often and in large volumes.
As per the EPA, a single cruise ship can generate up to 210,000 gallons of sewage per week. This includes both black water (toilet waste) and gray water (from sinks, showers, and laundries). While some ships treat this waste, regulations vary wildly by region.
In international waters — beyond 12 nautical miles from shore — ships are legally allowed to discharge untreated sewage into the ocean under MARPOL Annex IV, a global maritime treaty governed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Patchy enforcement
Within 3 to 12 nautical miles, some level of treatment is required, but enforcement is patchy.
In US waters, the Clean Water Act prohibits untreated sewage discharge within 3 miles of shore, but even treated waste can still carry bacteria, pathogens, and nutrients that harm marine ecosystems.
A 2021 report by Friends of the Earth found that 91 per cent of US coastal states have been affected by cruise pollution, particularly Alaska, which hosts more than 1.3 million cruise passengers annually.
