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ANNEX 26
RESOLUTION MEPC.159(55)
Adopted on 13 October 2006
REVISED GUIDELINES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFLUENT STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE TESTS FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS
THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE,
RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (the Committee) conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution,
NOTING resolution MEPC.2(VI) adopted on 3 December 1976 by which the Marine Environment Protection Committee adopted, at its sixth session, the Recommendation on International Effluent Standards and Guidelines for Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants and invited Governments to apply the Effluent Standards and Guidelines for approving sewage treatment plants; to take steps to establish testing programmes in accordance with the Guidelines for Performance Tests; and provide the Organization with a list of sewage treatment plants meeting the standards,
NOTING ALSO resolution MEPC.115(51) adopted on 1 April 2004 by which the Marine Environment Protection Committee adopted, at its fifty-first session, the revised MARPOL Annex IV and which entered into force on 1 August 2005,
NOTING FURTHER the provisions of regulation 9.1.1 of MARPOL Annex IV, in which reference is made to the above-mentioned guidelines,
RECOGNIZING that resolution MEPC.2(VI) should be amended in order that current trends for the protection of the marine environment and developments in the design and effectiveness of commercially available sewage treatment plants be reflected; and the proliferation of differing unilateral more stringent standards that might be imposed worldwide be avoided,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Sub-Committee on Bulk Liquids and Gases, at its tenth session,
1. ADOPTS the Revised Guidelines on Implementation of Effluent Standards and Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants, the text of which is set out in the Annex to this resolution;
2. INVITES Governments to:
(a) implement the Revised Guidelines on Implementation of Effluent Standards and Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants and apply them so that all equipment installed on board on or after 1 January 2010 meets the Revised Guidelines in so far as is reasonable and practicable; and
(b) provide the Organization with information on experiences gained from their application and, in particular, on successful testing of equipment against the Standards;
3. FURTHER INVITES Governments to issue an appropriate "Certificate of type approval for Sewage Treatment Plants" as referred to in paragraph 5.4.2 and the annex of the Revised Guidelines and to recognize such certificates issued under the authority of other Governments as having the same validity as certificates issued by them; and
4. SUPERSEDES the Recommendation on International Effluent Standards and Guidelines for Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants contained in resolution MEPC.2(VI).
ANNEX
REVISED GUIDELINES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFLUENT STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE TESTS FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction
2 Definitions
3 General
4 Standards
5 Testing considerations
6 Renewal and additional surveys
7 Familiarization of ship personnel in the use of the sewage treatment plant
ANNEX
Form of Certificate of Type Approval for Sewage Treatment Plants and Appendix
REVISED GUIDELINES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFLUENT STANDARDS AND PERFORMANCE TESTS FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted resolution MEPC.2(VI) Recommendation on International Effluent Standards and Guidelines for Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants in 1976.
1.2 This document contains the Revised Guidelines on Implementation of Effluent Standards and Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants (Guidelines). These Guidelines are intended to assist Administrations in establishing operational performance testing programmes for sewage treatment plants for the purpose of type approval under regulation 9.1.1 of Annex IV of the Convention.
1.3 These Guidelines apply to sewage treatment plants installed on board on or after 1 January 2010.
2 DEFINITIONS
Annex IV - the revised Annex IV of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) as amended by resolution MEPC.115(51).
Convention - the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973/1978 (MARPOL 73/78).
Geometric mean - the nth root of the product of n numbers.
Greywater - is drainage from dishwater, shower, laundry, bath and washbasin drains.
Testing onboard - testing carried out on a sewage treatment plant that has been installed upon a ship.
Testing ashore - testing carried out on a sewage treatment plant prior to installation e.g. in the factory.
Thermotolerant coliforms - the group of coliform bacteria which produce gas from lactose in 48 hours at 44.5℃. These organisms are sometimes referred to as "faecal coliforms"; however, the term "thermotolerant coliforms" is now accepted as more appropriate, since not all of these organisms are of faecal origin.
3 GENERAL
3.1 An approved sewage treatment plant must meet the standards in section 4 and the tests outlined in these Guidelines. It should also be noted that, when ships are operating approved sewage treatment plants, Annex IV also provides that the effluent shall not produce visible floating solids or cause discolouration of the surrounding water.
3.2 It is acknowledged that the performance of sewage treatment plants may vary considerably when the system is tested ashore under simulated shipboard conditions or onboard a ship under actual operating conditions. Where testing ashore demonstrates that a system complies with the standards, but subsequent onboard testing does not meet the standards, the Administration should determine the reason and take it into account when deciding whether to type approve the plant.
3.3 It is recognized that Administrations may wish to modify the specific details outlined in these Guidelines to take account of very large, very small or unique sewage treatment plants.
4 STANDARDS
4.1 For the purpose of regulation 4.1 of Annex IV, a sewage treatment plant should satisfy the following effluent standards when tested for its Certificate of Type Approval by the Administration:
.1 Thermotolerant Coliform Standard
The geometric mean of the thermotolerant coliform count of the samples of effluent taken during the test period should not exceed 100 thermotolerant coliforms/100 ml as determined by membrane filter, multiple tube fermentation or an equivalent analytical procedure.
.2 Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Standard
(c) The geometric mean of the total suspended solids content of the samples of effluent taken during the test period shall not exceed 35 mg/l.
(d) Where the sewage treatment plant is tested onboard ship, the maximum total suspended solids content of the samples of effluent taken during the test period may be adjusted to take account of the total suspended solid content of the flushing water. In allowing this adjustment in maximum TSS, Administrations shall ensure sufficient tests of TSS are taken of the flushing water throughout the testing period to establish an accurate geometric mean to be used as the adjustment figure (defined as χ). In no cases shall the maximum allowed TSS be greater than 35 plus χ mg/l.
Method of testing should be by:
.1 filtration of representative sample through a 0.45 μm filter membrane, drying at 105℃ and weighing; or
.2 centrifuging of a representative sample (for at least five minutes with mean acceleration of 2,800-3,200 g), drying at least 105℃ and weighing; or
.3 other internationally accepted equivalent test standard.
.3 Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Chemical Oxygen Demand
Administrations should satisfy themselves that the sewage treatment plant is designed to reduce both soluble and insoluble organic substances to meet the requirement that, the geometric mean of 5-day Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) of the samples of effluent taken during the test period does not exceed 25 mg/l and the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) does not exceed 125 mg/l. The test method standard should be ISO 15705:2002 for COD and ISO 5815-1:2003 for BOD5, or other internationally accepted equivalent test standards.
.4 pH
The pH of the samples of effluent taken during the test period shall be between 6 and 8.5.
.5 Zero or non-detected values
For thermolerant coliforms, zero values should be replaced with a value of 1 thermotolerant coliform/100 ml to allow the calculation of the geometric mean. For total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand, values below the limit of detection should be replaced with one half the limit of detection to allow the calculation of the geometric mean.
4.2 Where the sewage treatment plant has been tested ashore, the initial survey should include installation and commissioning of the sewage treatment plant.
5 TESTING CONSIDERATIONS
5.1 Testing of the operational performance of a sewage treatment plant should be conducted in accordance with the following subparagraphs. Unless otherwise noted, the subparagraphs apply to testing both onboard and ashore.
5.2 Raw sewage quality
5.2.1 Sewage treatment plants tested ashore - the influent should be fresh sewage consisting of faecal matter, urine, toilet paper and flush water to which, for testing purposes primary sewage sludge has been added as necessary to attain a minimum total suspended solids concentration appropriate for the number of persons and hydraulic loading for which the sewage treatment plant will be certified. The testing should take into account the type of system (for example vacuum or gravity toilets) and any water or greywater that may be added for flushing to the sewage before treatment. In any case the influent concentration of total suspended solids should be no less than 500 mg/l.
5.2.2 Sewage treatment plants tested onboard - the influent may consist of the sewage generated under normal operational conditions. In any case the average influent concentration of total suspended solids should be no less than 500 mg/l.
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