As part of Meriaura’s Zero Waste Program, the Company monitors how sewage is discharged on the Meriaura owned fleet. Since September 2021 each vessel reports the amounts discharged to port facilities, and if sewage is exceptionally discharged to sea, there needs to be an explanation.
Such exceptions may be, for example, insufficient or overpriced reception facilities in the port, or a long sea passage that causes the onboard tank capacity to fill. Whenever possible, the sewage is discharged in Finnish ports, where the cost is already included in port fees, and Meriaura can rely on proper reception facilities and waste treatment.
On average, ships discharge sewage a couple of times a month, about ten cubic meters at a time. Vessels have varying possibilities of reaching the port facilities. Nevertheless, the Meriaura crew has done their best, and some vessels have reached even zero discharges to sea. The Company has set a target of 80% for the whole fleet for discharging sewage to port facilities. After a 6-month follow-up this target seems to be successful and realistic.
Read more about the Zero Waste program