Hong Kong Bolsters Ship Sewage Discharge Legislation

zoom  The Government of Hong Kong is pushing forward with bolstering of its regulations on sewage discharge from ships. Namely, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Sewage) (Amendment) Regulation 2015 was gazetted today to meet the latest international requirements governing discharge of sewage from ships as prescribed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the governments said. A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said that the Regulation will require ocean-going vessels to comply with the effluent standards adopted by the IMO for the sewage treatment plants installed. The Regulation also specifies clearly the enforcement powers of government surveyors to conduct inspection, examination and investigation of ships for the purpose of ascertaining whether the Regulation has been complied with. As informed, the Regulation will be introduced into the Legislative Council on June 10, 2015 and will come into operation on November 1, 2015. The announcement comes following Hong Kongs announcement on intention to add nine new categories to its definition of ”garbage from ships,” including food wastes, operational wastes, cooking oil, fishing gear and animal carcasses, as part of the new Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation.