Ahost of regulations calling for more stringent black and grey water discharge standards has been introduced in recent years urging the shipping industry to react to increasing environmental demands. Rules on black water discharge, specified in MEPC 159(55) under MARPOL Annex IV, came into force in January 2010. They cut permissible sewage discharge levels of suspended solids from new buildings by more than half, even in open sea, the volume of allowable faecal coliform discharges by more than 70% and biochemical oxygen demand by 50%. The rules also introduced a particularly low limit of residual chlorine to protect the marine environment and aqua life from the side effects of sewage treatment.
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