All MSDs are certified and approved by the US Coast Guard. The U.S Coast Guard consults with the Environmental Protection Agency in evaluating processes used by MSDs.
The US Coast Guard regularly inspects MSDS while onboard ships for proper operation during their Control Verification Examinations. If the Coast Guard has reason to believe that an MSD is not properly operating, it can require the vessel owner to have the effluent sampled and analyzed by a qualified wastewater laboratory, with the results reported to the Coast Guard.
Handling Method:
Blackwater will be discharged only while underway and in accordance with applicable regulations.
M. Training and Educational Materials
Training is an important and ongoing part of every position and tasking onboard cruise ships. Not only is training necessary for the safe and economical operation of a ship, it is required by numerous international conventions and flag state regulations. The International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watcnkeeping (STCW) for example, sets forth requirements for knowledge, experience and demonstrated competency for licensed officers of the deck and engineering departments and for ratings forming part of a navigation or engineering watch. These detailed requirements address not only the navigation of the ship but also the proper operation of the shipboard machinery and knowledge of and ability to assure compliance with the environmental protection requirements of MARPOL and the safety regulations of The International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). SOLAS also requires that the ships training manual be placed in the crew messes and recreation rooms or in individual crew cabins.
The cruise industry has developed programs which raise the level of environmental awareness on the part of both the passengers and the crew. Each ship's crew is given frequent, and in many instances, advanced training in shipboard safety and environmental management procedures. Those directly responsible for handling waste are given specific instruction in their duties and responsibilities and in the operation of the various equipment and waste management systems. Specific efforts that our member lines have taken to train employees and increase passenger awareness include:
a. Announcements over the public address system and daily notices in ship newsletters that caution against throwing any trash overboard,
b. signage and colorful posters placed in crew and passenger areas encouraging environrnmental awareness and protection,
c. safety and environmental information booklets in crew cabins and crew lounges,
d. regular meetings of ship safety and environmental committees consisting of officers and crew from all departments to review methods of improving performance, including better and more effective environmental practices.
STCW, SOLAS and the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) require that training be fully documented. Individual training is documented in each crew member's file and ship training exercises, such as fire drills and emergency response exercises, are documented in the various ships logs. All of these training documents are required to be available for oversight examination by both the ships flag state inspectors and by port state authorities such as the United States Coast Guard.
Placards warning of the prohibition of the discharge of oil are posted on all ships operating in the navigable waters of the United States as required by U.S. Coast Guard regulations (33CFR155.450). Additionally, as part of required shipboard waste management plans, both Coast Guard regulations (33CFR151.59) and MARPOL (Annex V Regulation 9) require the posting of placards that notify the passengers and the crew of the disposal requirements for garbage. These placards are to be written in the official language of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly and also in English or French if neither of these are the official language. Once again, oversight of compliance with these requirements is conducted by ISM audits and frequent inspections by flag states and the United States Coast Guard.
Compliance with the ISM Code is mandated by the Safety of Life at Sea Convention. This comprehensive Code requires that each vessel operating company and each vessel participate in a very strictly defined management program, under both intemal and external audit and regulatory oversight, that sets forth detailed procedures for assuring compliance with safety, environmental protection, emergency response and training mandates.
