MARPOL 73/78 Annex IV Regulations for the prevention of

Pollution by Sewage from ships

The discharge of raw sewage into the sea can create a health
hazard. Sewage can also lead to oxygen depletion and can be
an obvious visual pollution in coastal areas - a major problem
for countries with tourist industries. The discharge of sewage
into the sea from ships also contributes to marine pollution.
Legal Requirements
Annex IV contains a set of regulations regarding the
discharge of sewage into the sea from ships, including
regulations regarding the ships' equipment and systems for
the control of sewage discharge, the provision of facilities at
ports and terminals for the reception of sewage, and
requirements for survey and certification. It also includes a
model International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate
to be issued by national shipping administrations to ships
under their jurisdiction.
It is generally considered that on the high seas, the oceans
are capable of assimilating and dealing with raw sewage
through natural bacterial action. Therefore, the regulations in
Annex IV of MARPOL prohibit the discharge of sewage into
the sea within a specified distance of the nearest land, unless
they have in operation an approved sewage treatment plant.
Governments are required to ensure the provision of
adequate reception facilities at ports and terminals for the
reception of sewage.
The Annex entered into force on 27 September 2003. A
revised Annex IV was adopted on 1 April 2004 and entered
into force on 1 August 2005.
Shipboard Sewage Pollution Sources
 drainage and other wastes from any form of toilets and
urinals;
 drainage from medical premises (dispensary, sickbay,
etc.) via wash basins, wash tubs and scuppers located in
such premises;
 drainage from spaces containing living animals;
 other waste waters when mixed with the drainages
defined above. (Regulations not applicable to disposal of
grey water - e.g. drainage from dishwasher, shower,
laundry, bath and washbasin drains).
Applicability
 Ships engaged in international voyages and of 400 gross
tonnage (GT) and above; or
 Ships engaged in international voyages and of less than
400 gross tonnage (GT) which are certified to carry more
than 15 persons.
Discharging of sewage from ships other than passenger
ships in all areas and discharge of sewage from passenger
ships outside special areas
The Annex requires ships to be equipped with either an approved sewage treatment plant or an
approved sewage comminuting and disinfecting system or a sewage holding tank. The discharge of
sewage into the sea is prohibited, unless the following requirements are fulfilled:

Discharge
From Treatment Comminuted & Untreated
 Plants Disinfected
- Certified sewage - at least 3 nm from - at least 12 nm from
treatment plant that the nearest land. the nearest land;
meet the - rate of discharge
requirements; approved by the
- no visible floating Administration;
solids & no - Ship proceeding en
discoloration in route;
surrounding waters.
- Minimum speed 4
knots.

Special Area
As per the most recent amendments to MARPOL Annex IV
which entered into force on 1 January 2013, the Baltic Sea is
considered as a special area and adds new discharge
requirements for passenger ships while operating in the
special area.
Discharging of sewage from passenger ships within a special
area
Discharge of sewage into the sea is forbidden for
- new passenger ships as of 01.01.2016
- existing passenger ships as of 01.01.2018,
Except when the following conditions are satisfied:
- certified sewage treatment plant that meet the operational
requirements of the Regulations is available aboard and
- no visible floating solids and no discoloration in surrounding
waters.
Exceptions
The discharge of sewage into the sea is allowed when:
 securing the safety of life or the ship; or
 the discharge of sewage is as result from damage to a
ship or its equipment if all reasonable precautions have
been taken before and after the occurrence of the
damage, for the purpose of preventing or minimizing
the discharge.
Equipment requirements
 discharge pipeline fitted with the standard discharge
connection * and
 approved sewage treatment plant or
 comminutor/disinfection system with temporary means
of storage or
 holding tank.
* applies to all new ships contracted for construction on or
after January 1, 2007.

Sewage Treatment Plant

There are different methods of treating sewage available in
the market, but the most common of them is the biological
type for it occupies less space for the holding tank, unlike
those of the other methods. Moreover, the discharge
generated from this plant is eco-friendly.
Working of a Biological Sewage Plant
The basic principle of the working of a biological treatment
plant is decomposition of the raw sewage. But first it is
important to understand what is aerobic and anaerobic
bacteria. Aerobic bacteria inhales oxygen to remain alive,
whereas anaerobic bacteria dies in the presence of oxygen
and hence avoids oxygen.
The decomposition process involves aerating the sewage
chamber with fresh air. The aerobic bacteria survive on this
fresh air and decompose the raw sewage which can be then
disposed into the sea. Air is a very important criterion in the
functioning of the biological sewage plant because if air is not
present, it will lead to the growth of anaerobic bacteria,
which produce toxic gasses that are hazardous to health.
Also, after decomposition of the sewage with anaerobic
bacteria, a dark black liquid causes discoloration of water
which is not acceptable for discharging at sea. Thus, in a
biological sewage treatment plant, the main aim is to
maintain the flow of fresh air.
The biological sewage plant is divided into four chambers: 
Primary chamber
This chamber is fed with raw untreated sewage and this
sewage is screened and thereafter ground to form small
particles. The advantage of breaking sewage in small particles
is that it increases the area and a higher number of bacteria
can attack simultaneously to decompose the sewage.
Aeration chamber
The sewage which arrives into the next chamber (aeration
chamber) is decomposed into carbon dioxide, water, and
inorganic sewage. The air is forced through the diffuser (an
attachment or a duct for broadening air flow and reducing its
speed) into the air chamber. The pressure of air flow also
plays an important role in decomposition of the sewage. If
pressure is kept high then the mixture of air and sewage will
not take place properly and it will escape without doing any
work required for decomposition. It is for this reason;
controlled pressure is important inside the sewage treatment
plant as this will help in proper mixing and decomposition by
the agitation caused by air bubbles. Generally, the pressure is
kept around 0.3-0.4 bars. 
Settling tank
The mixture of liquid and sludge is passed to settling tank
from the aeration chamber. In the settling tank, the sludge
settles at the bottom and clear liquid on the top. The sludge
present at the bottom is not allowed to be kept inside the
settling tank as this will lead to the growth of anaerobic
bacteria and foul gasses will be produced. The sludge formed
is recycled with the incoming sludge back into the aeration
chamber where it will mix with the latter and assist in the
breakdown of sewage. 
Chlorination and Collection

In this chamber, the clear liquid produced from the settling

tank is overflown and the liquid is disinfected with the help of
chlorine. This is done because of the presence of the e-Coli
bacteria present in the liquid. To reduce these bacteria to
acceptable level chlorination is done. Moreover, to reduce
the e-Coli, the treated liquid is kept for a period of at least 60
minutes. In some plants, disinfection is also done with the
help of ultraviolet radiation. The collected liquid is discharged
overboard or stored in a settling tank depending on the
position of the ship. If the ship is in restricted or near
coastline then the sewage will be discharged into the holding
tank; otherwise, the sewage is discharged directly into the
sea when a high level is reached and is disposed of
automatically until low-level switch activates.