Prince Rupert port set to ban cruise ships from dumping contaminated wastewater
A second port on Canada’s West Coast is proposing a ban on cruise ships dumping contaminated and acidic wastewater while docked to protect the marine environment.
This wastewater worsens ocean acidification, which makes it harder for marine organisms such as oysters, clams, prawns and crabs to form shells. Tiny but important floating marine snails, a critical food source for many animals including salmon, sharks and whales, are also affected. “It’s time for the federal government to stop depending on local leadership to do the heavy lifting with limited bans and step in to protect the entire coast,” she said.
Scrubbers are a loophole that gives the cruise industry a way to comply with International Maritime Organization rules on harmful sulphur emissions without switching fuels, she said. Transport Canada originally set out to crack down on scrubber discharge, an access-to-information request obtained by Canada’s National Observer showed. But when new wastewater rules were released, scrubber wastewater, which accounts for upwards of 90 per cent of the water pollution from cruise ships, was exempt.
“In an effort to continuously improve the sustainability practices of port activities and to minimize any environmental impacts to air and water at the Port of Prince Rupert, and in keeping with emerging industry best practices, the port authority has identified the elimination of open-loop scrubber use within its jurisdiction as a reasonable course of action,” Voigt said.
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