Sewage rules

The EU Parliament and European Council have reached an informal agreement that will see the expansion of the existing ban on ship discharge of oil and noxious liquid substances, reports Safety4Sea. The banned substances will be joined by sewage, rubbish and scrubber residue. MEPs have also included a provision mandating the EU to reassess the regulations five years after implementation into national law. This review will evaluate whether penalties should be imposed for marine plastic litter, container loss and plastic pellet spills from ships.