ASTM Committee F25 on Ships and Marine Technology

Standardization for Marine Sanitation Devices

Operator Perspective

Randall R. FiebrandtCDR/USCG(Ret)

Director, Environmental Operations

•NCL is member of CLIA, as is Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Costa, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and 18 other smaller cruise lines.

•Worldwide fleet of 180 (+/-) ships of all sizes and shapes.

•Typical Large (93,000 GT) Passenger Vessel in 2009

•Passengers – 3000•Crew – 1000•Daily

• GW volume – 1000 m3• BW volume – 200 m3• Processed treated water – 1100 m3• Bio-residuals – 100 m3

•Nearly double this for OASIS OF THE SEAS !

•Most cruise ships are equipped with some brand of “marine sanitation device”, sewage treatment plant or Advanced Wastewater Treatment System•Scanship

•Hamworthy•Zodiac Evac•Hydroxyl•Zenon•Rochem

•Navalis•Triton•Biopure•Omnipure•Orelis•Red Fox

•In 2001, NCL chose the Scanship option for all it’s ships (15 installations)

•Pre-screening•Moving Bed Bio-reactor (MBBR)•Chemical Precipitation & Flotation•Micro-filtration•UV Disinfection

The latest 5 ships have incorporated the Scanship Total Solution, combining an integrated solid waste, wastewater, and bio-sludge treatment system.

•MARPOL Annex IV is the worldwide standard for sewage treatment plants

•Annex IV permits discharge of untreated sewage (black water) when >12nm from the nearest land,

or comminuted or disinfected black water when > 3nm from the nearest land,

oranywhere when using an “approved” sewage treatment plant

•By definition, an “approved” treatment plant is one that meets Resolution MEPC.2(VI) – 1976

•Fecal coliforms < 250 /100ml•TSS < 50 mg/l (shoreside testing)•TSS < 100 mg/l (shipboard testing)•BOD5 <50mg/l

Performance TestsTesting ConsiderationsPeriodic Surveys

•And after 1 Jan 2010, an “approved” treatment plant is one that meets Resolution MEPC.159(55) – 2006

•Thermotolerant coliforms < 100 / 100ml•TSS <(35 + x) mg/l•BOD5 <25 mg/l•COD <125 mg/l•pH 6 < 8.5

Testing ConsiderationsSurveysTraining

•Resolution MEPC.159(59) specifically states that the old resolution should be amended

“(so) the proliferation of differing unilateral more stringent standards that might be imposed worldwide be avoided”

Therein, lies the problem….

there is proliferation of differing standards !

US Clean Water Act (40 CFR 133.102):

BOD5 < 30 mg/l (30-day avg) w/ 85% removal rateBOD5 < 45 mg/l (7-day avg)TSS < 30 mg/l (30-day avg) w/ 85% removal rateTSS < 45 mg/l (7-day avg)pH 6 < 9

USCG Type II (33 CFR 159):

Fecal Coliforms < 200 /100 mlTSS < 150 mg/l

Alaska Standard (33 CFR 159.301):

Enforced by the USCG40 CFR 133.102

andFecal Coliform: < 20 / 100 ml (geo mean)

< 10% over 40 / 100 mlBOD5 < 30 mg/l averageTSS < 30 mg/l averagepH 6 < 9Total Residual Cl < 10 µg/lContinual sampling program – Scheduled and unannounced

Alaska Permit Standard:

Fecal Coliform: < 14 /100 ml (average) < 43 / 100 ml (daily max)

BOD5 < 30 mg/l averageTSS < 150 mg/l (daily maximum)pH 6.5 < 8.5Total Residual Cl < 0.0075 mg/l

Interim FinalAmmonia: <80.4 mg/l < 2.900 mg/lCu (Dissolved): <0.066 mg/l < 0.031 mg/lZn (Dissolved): <0.23 mg/l <0.081 mg/lNi (Dissolved): <0.18 mg/l <0.0082 mg/l

Hawaii:

Fecal Coliform < 40 / 100 mlTSS < 100 mg/l

Canada:

Fecal Coliform < 250 / 100 mlTSS < 50 mg/lBOD5 < 50 mg/lChlorine <0.5mg/l

Latest News!

Baltic States are proposing a MARPOL Annex IV Baltic Sea Special Area for 2013 (existing)/2018 (new) where discharges must have

Total nitrogen < 20 mg/l or at least 70% removal

and

Total phosphorus < 1.0 mg/l or at least 80% removal

and

6.0 < pH < 8.5

Bottom Line

•Cruiselines would prefer a single worldwide standard that would allow for 24/7 discharge everywhere

•The cruise industry is a small segment of the worldwide marine industry and has difficulty getting support for our concerns

•The challenge is to determine a standard, that is acceptable to all and design affordable systems to meet that standard, consistently, on a ship platform

•Any standard must be performance based, to allow for future technological advances

•Anything ASTM can do to promote these goals is highly appreciated

Sidenote - Alaska

•Convening a 11-member science panel of experts on existing and emerging cruise ship wastewater treatment technology – January 2010

•The volunteer panel will look at current and innovative wastewater technologies and evaluate installation issues.

•The panel will look at the quality of wastewater effluent now produced by cruise ships. It will explore treatment technologies currently used on-board ships and at on-shore facilities as well as those new applications under development.