A group representing environmental groups is urging the federal government, as cruise-ship activity increases along the West Coast to tighten its rules. They want to see a minimum standard for vessels that dump sewage in protected marine areas.
The World Wildlife Fund Canada reported this week that all ships operating in Canadian waters can generate and potentially dump 147 million litres of operational wastewater each year. This is the equivalent of 59,000 Olympic-sized swimmingpools.
The report stated that almost 10% of the water that flows overboard is diverted into marine protected areas. The Scott Islands, which was the first marine National Wildlife Area created by the federal government in 2018, is one of the most vulnerable areas in Canadian waters.
The five Scott Islands cover an area of 11,546 kilometres from north Vancouver Island. They are a key ecological breeding habitat for 40% of the province’s seabirds. This includes 90% of Canada’s tufted puffins as well as 95% of Pacific Canadas common marsres.
The area is home to whales and sea lions, and it is located along the main cruise-ship route to Alaska.
After being closed for two years due to the pandemic, this route will be operational again in 2013, with large passenger ships plying B.C. Coast waters from April through October. 350 ship calls will be made to Victoria by vessels sailing to Alaska.
WWF Canada based its 2019 report on data from 5,546 ships moving in Canadian waters. It also included four major waste streams that these ships created, as well as the locations where waste is likely to be dumped by which vessels.
The study includes sewage, toxic scrubber washwater, grey water from ship sinks and showers, and bilge waters containing fuels and oils.
WWF Canada stated that cruise ships are the most prolific producers of the four waste streams despite only representing 2% of all ships in its analysis. The analysis included movements of many types of vessels, including bulk carriers, oil tankers, cargo ships, and ferries as well as fishing craft and tugboats.
WWF Canada said that the federal government has yet not followed through on a three year-old commitment to introduce new regulations on the amount of waste ships can release into oceans. This lack of progress is allowing ships continue to release wastewater.
Kim Dunn, a coauthor of the report, said that we don’t have enough regulations to ban this kind of dumping.
Dunn stated that Ottawa had promised to draft rules in 2019 that would determine what type of wastewater could be dumped into the oceans and where it would be permitted. Dunn said that we don’t yet see that commitment.
It is legal to release many types of waste into the seawater, but there are no clear definitions.
Nearly all of the 97% wastewater comes from ship scrubbers that remove sulphur, as well as other contaminants, from smokestacks. This wastewater is acidic and contains heavy metals and hydrocarbons, which are known carcinogens.
The report stated that about two-thirds, or roughly, of the scrubber waste entering Canadian waters comes primarily from cruise ships.
Ottawa announced April 2019 minimum standards that would prohibit oil and natural gas activities, bottom-trawling, and dumping within marine protected areas. However, the report said that although a ban on dumping may seem simple, there is not yet a standard definition of what “dumping” actually means in the context Canadian marine protection.
According to the report, therefore, ship dumping in protected areas is still subject to interpretation.
Dunn stated that a comprehensive definition for dumping is required so that minimum standards are established in all Canada’s marine protected zones. These would prohibit the discharge from ships of operational waste. Science has shown that all the waste streams examined in this report are dangerous.
The shipping industry did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Sau Sau Liu, a spokeswoman for Transport Canada, stated that the government is working with the industry and other stakeholders to develop new rules.
In light the 2019 federal announcement to establish minimum standard for [Marine Protected Areas]Transport Canada is investigating the technical and operational feasibility to increase vessel operational discharge requirements, she stated in an email.
Transport Canada stated that regulations for grey water, sewage, and bilge content in southern waters are consistent with international standards. The Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act bans any waste discharge in the North.
The Arctic Act does not prevent ships from releasing oil-containing water or bilge water into the Arctic. However, the report states that those rules are unclear for other wastes.
Ships use scrubbers to discharge water into the region. However, the legality of this practice remains a question due to regulatory inconsistencies, conflicts with accepted practices, and Sam Davin, co-author of the WWF-Canada Report, stated in an email. This inconsistency allows for ambiguity in enforcement.
Davin stated that grey-water release from the Arctic is in a similar limbo.
Davin stated that there are no Arctic reception facilities that can handle large volumes of greywater and ships don’t generally have the ability of keeping their grey water for more days. Transport Canada has not certified or approved grey water treatment systems for use within the Canadian Arctic.