Waste water management

The New Hansa of Sustainable Ports and Cities project aims at improving management of ship-generated waste waters at Baltic ports. Ships produce both black water and grey water. Black water is sewage from toilets and galleys, while grey water is sewage from bathing and washing up. At the moment the treatment facilities of waste waters vary between the ports.

During the project, data on quality, amount, discharges and management of ship-generated waste waters will be collected from the participating ports and shipping lines. In many cases waste water treatment does not correspond to the needs. As all ports do not have the capacity to receive all waste waters, shipping companies may be forced to discharge sewage directly into the sea. Especially grey waters are seldom taken care of at ports.

The project seeks harmonised waste water management in the Baltic Sea region ports. Commitment to common integrated solutions is sought among the partners. The best practices will be discussed and agreed upon in order to improve water quality in the Baltic Sea.