Viking Line vessels discharge neither waste nor bilge water into the sea. In order not to burden the Baltic Sea with nitrogen, phosphorus and oil, the Company's vessels pump all their wastewater ashore, including bilge water.
Two main types of wastewater are formed on the vessels: grey water and black water. Black water is wastewater from toilets, and grey water comes from showers and other washing activity. Bilge water, which contains oil, originates in the engine rooms of vessels.
MARPOL regulates the management of black and bilge water. The discharge of black and bilge water into the sea is permitted when the water meets certain specified criteria. Discharges of grey water are not regulated by legislation. Viking Line's choice to let land-based treatment plants handle all its wastewater and bilge water is thus an environmentally-friendly initiative that goes beyond what the existing rules require.