Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the disposal of sewerage from leisure boats into the ocean.
The Department for Transport has not undertaken an assessment of the effect of the number of pump-out sewerage facilities available to leisure crafts on the amount of untreated sewerage waste entering the ocean.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for the regulation of the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships. These regulations apply to ships engaged on international voyages over 400 gross tonnage and ships less than 400 gross tonnage which are certified to carry more than 15 persons. This means most leisure craft fall outside these regulations.
However, environmental awareness is promoted to the recreational boating sector through voluntary best practice such as the Green Blue created by British Marine and the Royal Yachting Association. Typically, marinas provide suitable facilities for their users, promoting environmental sustainability.