Vanguard Magazine

28 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com E ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY within nations, can enact their own ma- rine protection legislation separately from MARPOL requirements, even if they are a signatory to the convention. For example, Alaska has imposed discharge standards for grey water from cruise ships carrying 500 or more passengers. Land-based wastewater Like ship crew, military personnel in de- fence buildings and bases generate black- water and greywater; other streams con- taminated with oil, solvents, chemicals or hazardous agents may also be generated. Depending on location, there may be no possibility of discharging to a municipal sewage treatment plant, and in some cases, due to its nature, the wastewater cannot be accepted by a municipal facility even if there is one present. Defence buildings can minimize the volume of sewage generated, reduce per capita water consumption, and at the same time earn points towards at- taining Silver LEED status by treating and reusing greywater onsite. In addition to their primary role as the protectors of Canada, Canadian Forces are involved in other activities where waste- water challenges are real and present since municipal treatment systems are simply not available. These include defending Canada's vast Arctic region, and participat- ing in humanitarian efforts, disaster relief, peace-keeping and expeditionary opera- tions. Wastewater produced in these activi- ties is often highly concentrated since there is low per capita water consumption, and it may contain high levels of infectious agents. Inadequate wastewater management can endanger the health and safety of military personnel and civilians, in addition to po- tential negative environmental impacts; reli- ance on external contractors to truck-haul wastewater may represent a security risk. Standard approaches for wastewater treatment are not always easily transfer- rable to military operations for a variety of reasons. Sewers to collect sewage are not possible in the Arctic due to permafrost. Septic systems are not practical for tempo- rary military operations, and lagoons are not possible for frozen lands. Biological treatment, one of the mainstays of con- ventional wastewater treatment, is not practical in cold climates, or when the flow of wastewater is intermittent. Biological treatment systems often take 1-2 weeks to become fully operational, which is not ac- ceptable for many situations encountered by military personnel. Customized solutions and approaches It is clear that solutions designed specifical- ly for the requirements of marine or land- based defence activities are required, so that military personnel can focus on their mis- sions rather than concern themselves with the operation of pollution control equip- ment. Systems need to be deployable, de- pendable, robust and transportable. They need to have rapid start-up, on/off capabil- ity, automatic operation, and have the pos- sibility of remote monitoring. In addition to the equipment that car- ries out the treatment, new approaches for the management of various wastewater streams needs to be considered in order to HOW THE POLAR CODE PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT THE INTERNATIONAL CODE FOR SHIPS OPERATING IN POLAR WATERS WILL ENTER INTO FORCE ON 1 JANUARY 2017 IT APPLIES TO SHIPS OPERATING IN ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC WATERS: ADDITIONAL TO EXISTING MARPOL REQUIREMENTS IT PROVIDES FOR SAFE SHIP OPERATION AND PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT BY ADDRESSING THE UNIQUE RISKS PRESENT IN POLAR WATERS BUT NOT COVERED BY OTHER INSTRUMENTS OIL CHEMICALS SEWAGE GARBAGE DISCHARGES Discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any ship is prohibited STRUCTURE Double hull and double bottom required for all oil tankers, including those less than 5,000dwt (A/B ships constructed on or after 1 January 2017) HEAVY FUEL OIL Heavy fuel oil is banned in the Antarctic (under MARPOL). Ships are encouraged not to use or carry heavy fuel oil in the Arctic LUBRICANTS Consider using non-toxic biodegradable lubricants or water-based systems in lubricated components outside the underwater hull with direct seawater interfaces DISCHARGES Discharge of noxious liquid substances (NLS) or mixtures containing NLS is prohibited in polar waters DISCHARGES I No discharge of sewage in polar waters allowed (except under specific circumstances) DISCHARGES II Ü Sewage not comminuted or disinfected can be discharged at a distance of more than 12nm from any ice shelf or fast ice Ü Comminuted and disinfected sewage can be discharged more than 3nm from any ice shelf or fast ice FAST ICE: Sea ice which forms and remains fast along the coast, where it is attached to the shore, to an ice wall, to an ice front, between shoals or grounded icebergs ICE SHELF: A floating ice sheet of considerable thickness showing 2 to 50m or more above sea-level, attached to the coast SHIP CATEGORIES Three categories of ship designed to operate in polar waters in: A) at least medium first-year ice B) at least thin first-year ice C) open waters/ice conditions less severe than A and B DEFINITIONS PLASTICS All disposal of plastics prohibited (under MARPOL) ANIMAL CARCASSES Discharge of animal carcasses is prohibited FOOD WASTES I Discharge of food wastes onto the ice is prohibited FOOD WASTES II Food wastes which have been comminuted or ground (no greater than 25mm) can be discharged only when ship is not less than 12nm from the nearest land, nearest ice shelf, or nearest fast ice CARGO RESIDUES Cargo residues, cleaning agents or additives in hold washing water may only be discharged if: they are not harmful to the marine environment; both departure and destination ports are within Arctic waters; and there are no adequate reception facilities at those ports. The same requirements apply to Antarctic area under MARPOL BACKGROUND INFO TREATMENT PLANTS Discharge is permitted if ship has an approved sewage treatment plant, and discharges treated sewage as far as practicable from the nearest land, any fast ice, ice shelf, or areas of specified ice concentration INVASIVE SPECIES INVASIVE AQUATIC SPECIES Measures to be taken to minimize the risk of invasive aquatic species through ships' ballast water and biofouling

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