RATIFICATION BY NORWAY CLEARS MARPOL’s VESSEL SEWAGE CONVENTION

RATIFICATION BY NORWAY CLEARS MARPOLÆS VESSEL SEWAGE CONVENTION    Norway’s recent ratification of Annex IV of the MARPOL 73/78 Convention on Marine Pollution means that tougher regulations for the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships will become effective on September 27, 2003, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced on Tuesday.
   Annex IV, which applies to ships on international voyages, sets out in detail how sewage should be treated or held aboard ship, and the circumstances in which discharge into the sea may be allowed.
   To go into effect, Annex IV required ratification by 15 states whose combined merchant fleets constituted not less than 50 percent of the world’s merchant fleet by tonnage.
   Norway’s ratification last month brought the total number of countries that have accepted Annex IV to 88, and their tonnage to 51 percent of the world’s total.
   The IMO is a United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.