08
Jul 2008 - Most international cruise ship
companies operating in the Baltic Sea have
refused to co-operate with a plea from WWF
to stop dumping their sewage straight into
the water.
The Baltic, an inland
sea, is one of the most polluted seas in
the world, so much so that the countries
on its northern European shores have recently
joined together to form the Baltic Sea Action
Plan in an attempt to reverse its decline.
WWF contacted ferry
lines and cruise ship companies sailing
there asking for a voluntary ban on waste-water
discharge. So far most of the ferry lines
have responded positively, but only three
of the international cruising lines have
signed up.
“We think it should
be the responsibility of anyone operating
a ship in the Baltic Sea to take care of
their own wastes in a responsible manner
and stop polluting the sea,” said Mats Abrahamsson,
Program Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion
Program. “If some companies can sign our
agreement, why can’t the others?”
The Baltic Sea receives
between 250 and 300 cruise ships each year
and the waste-water produced is estimated
to contain 113 tons of nitrogen and 38 tons
of phosphorus, substances that add to the
eutrophication of the sea.
Eutrophication is considered
by many to be the main environmental problem
of the Baltic Sea, causing both biological
and economic damage to marine environment
and coastal areas.
It is caused by an overload
of nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen,
into the ecosystem. Eutrophication causes
many problems, including unusually strong
and frequent blooms of “blue-green” algae.
Some of these algae
produce toxins harmful to both humans and
animals, with people even advised not to
go in the water in many parts of the Baltic.
Furthermore, when the
algae die they sink to the bottom and consume
large amounts of oxygen, causing “dead zones”.
Seven of the largest dead zones in the world
are at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The
lack of oxygen and sun-light - blocked out
by the algae - also has an impact on plant
life and on fish re-production.
In addition to excess
nutrients, the waste water dumped by the
boats also contains bacteria, viruses and
other pathogens. “The most obvious thing
they should do is install storage tanks
large enough for them to carry the waste
to the next port,” said Abrahamsson.
“Ships go into port
quite often, so they can easily do that.
They complain that the facilities in the
ports are not efficient or large enough,
but that is just a bad excuse.
“We concede that the
facilities could be improved and we have
told the companies we’re happy to work with
them to influence the authorities to improve
their capacity to receive this waste. But
it’s already perfectly possible to do it.”
Dr. Anita Mäkinen,
Head of Marine Programme for WWF Finland,
said: “Some big cruise ships are treating
their waste waters onboard, but only according
to the Alaska regulations, which do not
regulate nutrients but only bacteria and
organic content of the waste water. They
don’t seem to understand that this is not
enough in the Baltic Sea.”
