ENGINE ROOM WASTE

MANAGEMENT
SEWAGE AND WASTE
WATER TREATMENT
ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT
SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT

A VIDEOTEL PRODUCTION

AUTHOR
Pat Mitchell

84 NEWMAN STREET, LONDON W1T 3EU

TELEPHONE +44(0)20
7299 1800
FACSIMILE +44(0)20
7299 1818
mail@videotelmail.com
www.videotel.co.uk
 ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT
SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT

A VIDEOTEL PRODUCTION
in association with
THE STEAMSHIP MUTUAL UNDERWRITING ASSOCIATION (BERMUDA) LTD
The Producers would like to acknowledge the assistance of
THE MASTER, OFFICERS AND CREW OF ARKLOW WIND
THE STAFF OF THE NATIONAL MARITIME COLLEGE OF IRELAND
A&P Falmouth
Arklow Shipping Ltd
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)
BW Shipping Managers
Dobson Fleet Management
Dorchester Atlantic Marine Ltd
Essar Shipping Limited
Fafalios Ltd
Fairmont Shipping (UK) Ltd
Hamworthy plc
Hanseatic Shipping Company
Hong Kong Shipowners Association
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
ISM Solutions Inc
The Institute of Marine Engineering (IMarEST)
INTERTANKO
The Maersk Company Ltd
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
OCIMF
OMI Corporation
Paris MOU
Shell International Trading & Shipping Co. Ltd
Tanker Pacific Management (Singapore) Pte Ltd
United States Coast Guard (USCG)
Vela International Marine Ltd
V Ships UK Ltd
Wallem Ship Management

CONSULTANTS: Sir William Codrington, Professor Jon Wonham, Bill Cooper

PRODUCER: Peter Wilde
WRITER: Pat Mitchell
DIRECTOR: Chris Setchell

WARNING
Any unauthorised copying, lending, exhibition, diffusion, sale, public performance or other exploitation of the accompanying video is
strictly prohibited and may result in prosecution.
© COPYRIGHT Videotel 2007
This video and accompanying workbook training package is intended to reflect the best available techniques and practices at the time of
production. It is intended purely as comment. No responsibility is accepted by Videotel, or by any firm, corporation or organisation who
or which has been in any way concerned with the production or authorised translation, supply or sale of this video for accuracy of any
information given hereon or for any omission herefrom.
ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT VIDEOTEL PRODUCTIONS

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4

THE SLUDGE AND THE INCINERATOR PROGRAMME 5

THE TRAINING SESSION 9

1 Introduction 9
2 The video 10
3 Extended aeration 11
4 What should and should not go into the treatment plant 12
5 Routine maintenance 13
6 Cleaning the system 14
7 Summary 15

QUESTIONS 16

APPENDIX 17

RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING 18

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INTRODUCTION
THE ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT SERIES
This training programme on Sewage and Waste Water Treatment is one of a series of four covering
different aspects of engine room waste management. The other three cover, Oily Water and Separators,
The Oil Record Book, and Sludge and the Incinerator, respectively.
Each of the four programmes consists of a video and an accompanying guide.

general

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THE SEWAGE
AND WASTE WATER
TREATMENT PROGRAMME
general 2

TARGET AUDIENCE AND FORMAT

The programme is designed for all engine room personnel. It is intended to be led by a senior engineer
officer. It begins with a brief introduction. The group then watch a video which lasts about fifteen minutes.
They then discuss the points raised in the video and relate these to the particular circumstances of their
own ship.

OBJECTIVES
The guide will enable an engineer officer such as yourself to use the video as the basis for a short
training session for a small group of engine room personnel. Those taking part will:

• Review the regulations governing the discharge of sewage

• Understand how an extended aeration plant works
• Discuss and agree how to control what should and should not go into the plant
• Review procedures for routine maintenance and shutting the plant down for cleaning and
removal of sludge
• Relate the general points raised in the video to the operation of the sewage treatment
plant on your own ship

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THE SEWAGE
AND WASTE WATER
TREATMENT PROGRAMME
General 3

THE VIDEO
The video shows a senior engineer officer explaining the process for treating sewage on board and
ensuring that the treatment plant is able to operate efficiently. The running time is approximately 15
minutes.

THE GUIDE
The guide contains a structure for the training session which will help you to go into more detail about
the issues raised in the video. The suggested structure is as follows:

• Introduction: objectives; what you will cover; summary of the regulations

• The video
• Brief discussion of points raised by the video
• Controlling what should and should not go into the plant
• Routine maintenance
• Cleaning the plant
The guide also contains:
A copy from MARPOL, Annex IV, Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships:

• Regulation 2: Application
• Regulation 3: Exceptions
• Regulation 5: Issue or Endorsement of Certificate
• Regulation 9: Sewage Systems
• Regulation 11: Discharge of Sewage
A copy of a report on a fatal accident on a ferry operating into an Irish port. Two young people died in
their cabin from a combination of suffocation and inhaling hydrogen sulphide gas generated by
anaerobic bacteria in the sewage holding tanks.
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ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT VIDEOTEL PRODUCTIONS

THE SEWAGE
AND WASTE WATER
TREATMENT PROGRAMME
General 4

YOUR PREPARATION
Before leading the training session:

• Watch the video and make a note of any points which are particularly relevant to your ship
• Read the detailed notes below
• Read MARPOL, Annex IV, Regulations 2, 3, 5, 9 and 11. Check your ship’s International
Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate
• This guide was written in the Summer of 2007. At that time the following amendments to the
regulations were in the process of implementation. Decide whether these affect how you
manage the treatment of sewage and waste water on board. Do you need to discuss these
issues on the training session you will be leading?
• From August 2007, Regulation 13 will be added to Annex IV. This will allow port state
control to detain ships whose masters and crews are not sufficiently familiar with
shipboard procedures relating to the prevention of pollution by sewage
• The guidelines on the implementation of effluent standards and performance tests for
sewage treatment plants have been amended to remind administrations that ship staff
training should include familiarisation with the operation and maintenance of sewage
treatment plant
• If your ship carries live animals, note that an amendment to Annex IV, Regulation 11,
paragraph 1.1 is expected to take effect from 2009. This will impose the same restrictions
on the discharge of sewage originating from spaces containing living animals as those
which currently apply to human sewage which has not been disinfected or comminuted.
Will this affect how you dispose of sewage from the animals your ship carries?
• Read the report on the fatal accident on board the ferry
• Review the Preventative Maintenance System (PMS) for your treatment plant. Identify any
points which you particularly want to stress. In particular:

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ENGINE ROOM WASTE MANAGEMENT SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT VIDEOTEL PRODUCTIONS

THE SEWAGE
AND WASTE WATER
TREATMENT PROGRAMME
• What is your company’s procedure for regular sampling of the treated effluent?
• Are there any aspects of the PMS which you think could be improved, either in what it
contains or how it is used in practice?
• Review the procedure in your treatment plant’s manufacturer’s manual for periodic cleaning
of the system
• Decide how much detail you want to cover in this discussion. This will depend on your
assessment of what those you will be training already know about sewage treatment on
board, as well as how much time you have available
If you think that the group need more detail than you have time to provide, consider splitting
the session into shorter parts. For example, you could first show the video and hold a short,
general, discussion and then hold two separate discussions covering, first, how the plant
works and how to control what goes into it, followed later by routine maintenance and
shutting the plant down for cleaning. If you do this, though, don’t leave too much time
between the different parts
• Try to make this session a discussion rather than a lecture We have provided examples of
questions to help you do so

• If it should ever be necessary to discharge

untreated sewage from your ship, the
regulations specify that the ship must be
more than 12 nautical miles from the
nearest land, underway at a speed of more
than 4 knots and the rate of discharge must
be “moderate”. It is unlikely that you will
want to explain the details of what is meant
by “moderate” but, if you do, it is defined by
the following formula:

DRmax = 0.00926 x V x D x B
Where:
DRmax is the maximum rate of discharge.
This is the average rate calculated over a 24
hour period or the period of discharge if that
is less and may be exceeded by no more
than 20% when measured on an hourly basis
V is the ship’s average speed over the period
D is the ship’s draft in metres
B is the ship’s breadth in metres

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THE TRAINING SESSION

1 INTRODUCTION
Explain that:

• This short training session is about sewage treatment on board

• You will summarise the regulations
• You will show them a video lasting about 15 minutes
• You will then lead a discussion about how the plant works, how to control what should and
should not go into it, routine maintenance and shutting it down for cleaning
• Emphasise that you welcome questions and discussion
Explain that the discharge of sewage from ships is regulated by MARPOL Annex IV. This applies to:

• All new ships of more than 400 gross tons and those of less then 400 gross tons which are
certified to carry more than 15 people
• All existing ships of more than 400 gross tons and those of less then 400 gross tons which
are certified to carry more than 15 people, five years after the date of entry into force of this
Annex (27 September 2008)
• Ships which trade with ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of parties to the
MARPOL Convention must have their sewage treatment facilities surveyed and be issued with
– the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate
• Ships may not discharge untreated sewage less than 12 nautical miles from land or
comminuted and disinfected sewage closer than 3 miles. The ship must be underway at a
speed of not less than 4 knots while doing so and the sewage must be discharged at a
moderate rate. Most modern ships, however, have a plant which is approved for the
discharge of treated effluent anywhere, even in port

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THE TRAINING SESSION

• The only exceptions to the limits laid down in the regulations relate to emergencies – the
safety of the ship, saving life at sea or discharge resulting from damage to the ship or its
equipment

2 THE VIDEO
• Tell to the group that they are about to see a 15 minute video in which a senior engineer
officer describes the sewage treatment plant on his ship
• Ask them, as they watch, to take particular note of points which relate to your ship
• Play the video
• Lead a short discussion on the particular points raised about the video. Remind them of any
significant differences between the plant shown in the video and the one on your ship

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THE TRAINING SESSION

3 EXTENDED AERATION
Discuss with the group, in however much detail is appropriate, the description of an extended aeration
plant given by the engineer in the video. Points to stress are:

• Extended aeration plants use aerobic

bacteria – those that exist in the presence of
oxygen – to digest sewage and convert it into
water, inert sludge and CO2.
• These plants typically contain three
compartments – aeration, settling and
chlorine contact.

• Sewage enters the aeration compartment

through a coarse screen. Air is bubbled
through it from a series of diffusers. The
aerobic bacteria digest the sewage.

• The digested effluent passes through another

screen into the setting compartment. CO2 is
vented. Sludge and bacteria sink to the
bottom and are re-circulated to the aeration
compartment. Debris is skimmed from the
surface.

• The clear effluent flows through a chlorinator

into a contact tank. The chlorine kills any
remaining bacteria. Grey water from sinks,
showers and so on also flows into the contact
tank from which the effluent is discharged
overboard.

Remind the group about the implication for your ship of the different regulations covering the use of
chlorine in the waters of different nations. Some countries, such as Korea, insist on chlorination while
others, such as Canada, forbid it.

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THE TRAINING SESSION

No nos False teeth

4 WHAT SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT GO INTO THE TREATMENT PLANT

It is essential that only human soil and toilet paper go into the lavatories. The engineer in the video
referred to some of the common items which should not. These include cigarette ends and packets,
condoms, female sanitary products, and paper, such as kitchen towels and newspapers, which are not
designed to dissolve.
He also described some of the less obvious items that he had come across in his career, including a set
of false teeth! Ask the group for examples of unusual things they have found when cleaning the inlet
filters of treatment plants.
Keeping inappropriate items out of the treatment plant involves educating everyone who comes on board
to use the toilets properly. Discuss with the group how this is done on your ship. Can they suggest any
improvements? Some points to cover include:

• Are there sufficient signs explaining to those using the toilets what they must not put into
them? Are they in the right place? Are they in the right languages?
• Does the shipboard familiarisation procedure cover correct use of the toilets?
• What is the procedure for telling visitors to the ship what they may and may not do?
• Are crew members who work in the galley following the correct procedures for handling grey
water – minimising the amount of grease that goes into the sinks and disposing of waste
cooking oil correctly?

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THE TRAINING SESSION

Tablets

5 ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
Discuss the PMS for your treatment plant with the group. Check that they understand the important
points which it covers. Find out whether they have any problems maintaining the equipment or ideas
for improvement.
Key points to stress include:

• Effective functioning of the treatment plant depends on vigorous bacterial action. For this
reason it is essential to use cleaning fluids which do not kill bacteria. Domestic cleaners
used on shore must not be used for cleaning toilets on board
• Checking and maintaining the level of tablets in the chlorinator
• Checking the integrity of pipe work. This is essential because:
• Leaks lower the efficiency of vacuum systems
• Leaks can allow sewage gases to back-flow into the toilet compartment

• Sampling the treated effluent at the regular intervals specified by your company.
• Checking the effectiveness of ventilation:
• In toilet and washing areas dirt and fluff must be removed from extraction grilles,
louvers and ducts and fans must be checked to ensure they are working
• Air extraction and forced ventilation in alleyways and cabin spaces must be checked

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THE TRAINING SESSION

Extractor Vent

Tell the group about the Irish ferry incident. The death of two young people was caused by sewage gases
flowing into the toilet compartment in their cabin. The ventilation extraction from the cabin was partially
blocked and the main cabin ventilation was turned off.

6 CLEANING THE SYSTEM

Discuss the procedure in your treatment plant’s manufacturer’s manual for periodic cleaning and
removal of sludge. Points to cover include checking:

• The operation of float switches and alarms

• The condition of the air diffusers
• The compressor filters, belts and bearings
• Defective jointing. This should be replaced

Switch

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THE TRAINING SESSION

Stress the importance of checking compressors and diffusers. If there is insufficient air the aerobic
bacteria die and are replaced by their opposite – anaerobic bacteria which thrive in the absence of
oxygen.
They also digest sewage, but in the process they produce gases which are highly toxic, flammable and, in
some cases, explosive – hydrogen sulphide, methane, ammonia. It was H2S which killed the young people
in the Irish ferry incident.
Engine room personnel who are cleaning the treatment plant must:

• Wear protective clothing – a face mask, goggles and gloves

• Avoid going inside the plant if at all possible
• In the rare and exceptional circumstances when it is necessary to go inside the plant, treat it
like any other entry into an enclosed space. Do a proper risk assessment and take all the
necessary precautions
• Make sure to wash thoroughly afterwards
If the plant is being cleaned in port, sludge must be discharged to proper facilities ashore.
If the ship is far enough from land untreated sewage can be discharged overboard while the plant is
cleaned. This is also an opportunity to use a bacteria killing cleaner, so long as the system is flushed with
sea water before the treatment plant is re-connected.
Tell the group that after starting the plant up again it takes between ten days and two weeks for the
aerobic bacteria to re-establish themselves. Therefore, complete de-sludging of the system can only be
carried out when the ship is going to be in unrestricted waters for that time.
Wherever and whenever the plant is cleaned, clear and simple records of what has been done are
essential.

7 SUMMARY
Summarise the action points which you have agreed. Agree a timescale for implementation.

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QUESTIONS
1 The discharge of sewage is covered by MARPOL, Annex IV. What ships does it apply to?
2 What does the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate cover?
3 What do the regulations specify about the discharge of untreated sewage?
4 Extended aeration sewage treatment plants use aerobic bacteria.
What does “aerobic” mean?
5 Following aerobic treatment, clear effluent flows through a chlorinator.
What is the purpose of the chlorinator?
6 Name one country which insists on chlorination and one that forbids it
7 Name three things which must not go into the lavatories on board
8 Why are domestic cleaners used on shore not suitable for cleaning toilets on board?
9 Name two essential safety checks which must form part of any preventive
maintenance programme for the treatment plant
10 Anaerobic bacteria which thrive in the absence of oxygen will also digest sewage.
What do they produce when they do so?

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APPENDIX
MARPOL, ANNEX IV
REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION BY SEWAGE FROM SHIPS:
Regulation 2: Application
Regulation 3: Exceptions
Regulation 5: Issue or Endorsement of Certificate
Regulation 9: Sewage Systems
Regulation 11: Discharge of Sewage
MEPC.159(55): Revised Guidelines on Implementation of Effluent Standards and
Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants

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RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING

IMO Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships
Regulations for the prevention of pollution by sewage are contained in Annex IV of MARPOL 73/78
Note: Revised sewage standards
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at its 55th session in October 2006 adopted revised
Guidelines on Implementation of effluent standards and performance tests for sewage treatment plants. The
revised guidelines, which will apply to sewage treatment plants installed onboard on or after 1 January
2010, replace the Recommendation on international effluent standards and guidelines for performance tests
for sewage treatment plants adopted by resolution MEPC.2(VI) in 1976
The MEPC also adopted a standard for the maximum rate of discharge of untreated sewage from
holding tanks when at a distance equal or greater than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
www.imo.org
MCA MARINE GUIDANCE NOTE – MGN 33 (M+F)
Sewage systems on ships: associated hazards, installation and maintenance
www.mcga.gov.uk

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NOTES

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NOTES

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p r o d u c t i o n s
84 NEWMAN STREET, LONDON W1T 3EU
TELEPHONE +44(0)20 7299 1800
FACSIMILE +44(0)20 7299 1818
E-MAIL mail@videotelmail.com
WEB www.videotel.co.uk