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SEA
BILGE
WATER
SEWAGE
BALLAST
WATER
Preventive processing (by means of a special a double bilge [oily water] separator) so that the oil content
of the treated bilge water does not exceed 15 parts per million (ppm) as per the applicable regulations
(MARPOL Convention, Annex I).
Voluntary (fleetwide) installation of redundant systems that monitor treated bilge water a second time
prior to discharge to ensure it contains less than 15 ppm of oil before being discharged overboard. This
sophisticated control and monitoring system: 1) only permits overboard discharge if the oil content does
not exceed the foregoing limit 2) enables a constant recorder reading of all the relevant information. If
the system reading indicates 15ppm or greater of oil, it will sound an alarm and automatically stop the
discharge. Bilge water from Costa’s ships is discharged only when the ships are underway at sea and
proceeding at a speed of not less than 6 knots.
Bilge water not meeting discharge criteria and oil residues/sludge are kept in on-board storage tanks and
then offloaded for shoreside disposal or recycling depending on available shoreside infrastructure.
All the ships in the fleet are equipped with IMO-certified sewage purification plants known as Marine
Sanitation Devices (MSDs); treated sewage is only ever discharged at a distance greater than 12 nautical
miles from the nearest land and while the ship is traveling at a speed of not less than 6 knots.
Ballastwater isnot subject toany specific requirements regardingprocessingand treatment. Costa is currently
testing ballast water systems with treatment technologies guaranteeing performance levels required by the
guidelines of BWM2004 (International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ BallastWater
and Sediments), which is yet to enter into force. Sequential ballast water exchange is conducted in the open
sea (200 nautical miles from the nearest land and in water of at least 50 meters in depth) en route from
one marine area to another. The ship discharges ballast water in the open sea before reaching the new area
of destination. This procedure, which is mandatory only in certain countries, is standard practice fleetwide,
meaning that Costa has pre-empted a requirement that has not yet entered into force.
Under Costa’s own policy, gray water is only discharged when the ships are underway at sea at a distance
greater than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land and proceeding at a speed of not less than 6 knots;
gray water is not discharged in port.
In any event the minimum distance from shore for discharge of gray water is 4 nautical miles; this mini-
mum is adopted by the cruise industry voluntarily (gray water is not subject to international regulations),
except in case of an emergency and provided notification is given to the local port authorities.
GRAYWATER
NORMALLY GENERATED IN THE
MACHINERY SPACES OF THE
ENGINE ROOM DURING VESSEL
OPERATION; CONTAINS OIL
RESIDUES.
SEAWATER THAT IS
INTENTIONALLY PUMPED
INTO AND OUT OF TANKS
TO CONTROL AND ADJUST A
SHIP’S DRAFT, LIST, TRIM AND
STABILITY.
WASTEWATER FROM GALLEYS,
SINKS, SHOWERS, LAUNDRIES,
COLLECTION IN SCUPPERS OF
RAINWATER ANDWASHING
WATER USED TO CLEAN THE
EXTERIOR OF THE SHIP.
FLUSHWATER AND LIQUID
WASTE FROM TOILETS AND
MEDICAL FACILITIES.
event, any spill or discharge constituting
an environmental incident is reported
immediately to the competent external
authorities in the port/territorial waters
where the incident occurred. Therewere
no significant fines or non-monetary
sanctions for non-compliance with
environmental laws and regulations.
No grievances about environmental
impacts were filed by stakeholders
during the reporting period.