ABSTRACT
Sewage wastes are produced for most part from land-based resources such as municipal sewers or treatment facilities, and to a lesser extent by ships. The largest volumes of sewage are related to vessels carrying the greatest number of persons and consumables aboard. MARPOL Annex IV entitled "Regulations for the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships" entered into force on 27 September 2003. The IMO has regulated sewage discharges and related issues through MARPOL Annex IV, and via a number of Marine Environment Protection Committee resolutions which introduced changes to the said Annex. Moreover, the discharge of sewage from passenger ships within a special area is, in principle, prohibited. In broad terms, the initial survey is conducted before the ship is put in service or before the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate is issued for the first time. An International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate is provided in regulation 5 of the Annex.
