Introduction

PIA provides independent testing services to the marine industry. Many years of experience in the field of water treatment and the international recognition of our tests by authorities and classification societies enable us to provide our customers with a high-quality service.

Our range of services includes the following business areas:

Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS)
Sewage Treatment Systems (STP) and Marine Sanitation Devices (MSD)
Oily Water Separators (OWS) and Bilge Monitors
River Cruises Technical Service
On-board Surveys, Sampling and Analysis
Training

PIA GmbH is accepted by:

the Ship Safety Division of the BG for Transport and Traffic (former See-BG) for testing of sewage treatment plants according to IMO Resolution MEPC.227(64) as amended by MEPC.284(70)
the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine as Technical Service for the approval of on-board sewage treatment plants according to article 18.10 of the European Standard laying down Technical Requirements for Inland Navigation vessels (ES-TRIN)
the International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) as recognized laboratory for testing sewage treatment systems for use on small craft according to ISO 8099-2
recognized Technical Service by DMI EMCI as recognized Technical Service for testing sewage treatment systems for use on small craft according to the Dutch regulation “Regeling lozen buiten inrichtingen”

PIA GmbH is accepted by the United States Coast Guard:

as a Recognized Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing marine sanitation devices for compliance with the standards and regulations in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322)
as a Qualified Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing of sewage treatment plants for compliance with the standards and regulations in IMO Resolution MEPC.227(64) and in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322)
as a Recognized Facility for collecting and testing effluent in certain Alaskan waters from cruise vessel operations for compliance with the standards and regulations in Subpart E to 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 1(a)(4) in Pub. L. 106-554
as a Designated Facility for performing approval testing on pollution prevention equipment (PPE) for compliance with the standards and regulations contained in IMO Resolutions MEPC.107(49), MEPC.108(49) & MEPC.240(65) and 46 CFR 162.050, as promulgated under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.). PPE includes 15 ppm bilge separators and 15 ppm bilge alarms.
as an Independent Laboratory (IL) for testing Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) for compliance with the standards and regulations in 46 CFR 162.060

Ballast Water

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

Head of Marine Services

+49 241 75082-15

+49 241 75082-29

PIA is accepted by U.S. Coast Guard as Independent Laboratory for testing of Ballast Water Management Systems

The U.S. Coast Guard requires type approval testing of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) to be conducted by an organization independent of the manufacturer. PIA is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as Independent Laboratory (IL) for testing BWMS.

Our approval program allows USCG and IMO BWMS Code testing requirements to be met at the same time. The close partnership with experts enables us to offer our customers a service package characterized by professionalism, quality and flexibility.

In the capacity as IL, PIA will evaluate the readiness of a manufacturer’s BWMS for shipboard installation and type approval testing. PIA is responsible for oversight of the land-based testing, shipboard testing, environmental (component) testing and preparation of the BWMS Test Report.

IL Grafik

Recreational Craft

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

Head of Marine Services

+49 241 75082-15

+49 241 75082-29

PIA offers testing of watewater treatment systems for use on recreational craft according to national and international standards.

ISO 8099-2

Recreational craft, like many other EU products, must be accompanied by an EC Declaration of Conformity and bear a CE marking. Hereby the manufacturer assures that the product complies with the essential health and safety requirements of the Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU.

Conformity with an applicable standard confers a presumption of conformity with the essential requirements of the applicable New Approach Directive that is covered by such a standard. The applicable standards are ISO 8099-1 and ISO 8099-2.

ISO 8099-1 specifies requirements for the design, construction and installation of facilities for the temporary collection of black water that is later disposed of.
ISO 8099-2 was published in December 2020 This standard specifies requirements for the design, construction and installation of sewage treatment systems on small craft.

These standards specify relevant requirements of the above-mentioned directive for recreational craft and enables manufacturers and purchasers of boats legal certainty through the highest presumption of conformity to the relevant part of the legal requirements.

PIA is recognized laboratory by the International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI) for testing products according to ISO 8099-2. PIA will independently evaluate the information that is submitted by the manufacturer and evaluate the device for compliance with ISO 8099-2.

Dutch regulation “Regeling lozen buiten inrichtingen”

The Netherlands implemented Regulation no. IENW/BSK-2019/201145 (“Regeling lozen buiten inrichtingen”) of the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, including requirements for treatment systems and discharges of toilet water from recreational craft.

The regulation means that a sanitary system that dump water overboard on a recreational craft need to meet certain effluent standards. Specifically, they need to ensure that the discharge complies with the effluent standard for enterococci and Escherichia coli.

PIA is recognized Technical Service by DMI EMCI for testing products according to the Dutch regulation “Regeling lozen buiten inrichtingen”. PIA will independently evaluate the information that is submitted by the manufacturer and evaluate the device for compliance with the “Regeling lozen buiten inrichtingen”.

Type Approval

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

Head of Marine Services

+49 241 75082-15

+49 241 75082-29

PIA offers tests for type approval of waste water treatment systems in cooperation with flag state administrations and classification societies according to national and international standards.

An overview about the effluent standards is given in the following table:

* 100 mg/l when tested onboard, 50 mg/l when tested ashore

** no visible floating solids

*** applicable to passenger ships which operate in MARPOL Annex IV special areas and which intend to discharge treated sewage effluent into the sea
		IMO			USCG
		MEPC.2(VI)	MEPC.159(55)	MEPC.227(64)	Type I	Type II	Alaska
		since 2003	since 2010	since 2016
BOD⁵	[mg/l]	50	25	25 Q_i/Q_e	-	-	30
COD	[mg/l]	-	125	125 Q_i/Q_e	-	-	-
TSS	[mg/l]	100*	35	35 Q_i/Q_e	-**	150	30
coliforms	[cfu/100ml]	250	100	100 Q_i/Q_e	1000	200	20
residual chlorine	[mg/l]	-	0,5	0,5	-	-	0,01
pH	[-]	-	6,0 - 8,5	6,0 - 8,5	-	-	6,0 - 9,0
N_tot	[mg/l]	-	-	20 Q_i/Q_e	-	-	-
P_tot	[mg/l]	-	-	1 Q_i/Q_e	-	-	-

IMO - MEPC.227(64)

U.S. Coast Guard – 33 CFR Part 159

The Chapter 33 Code of Federal Regulations Part 159 – Marine Sanitation Devices - prescribes regulations governing the design and construction of marine sanitation devices and procedures for certification. Any vessel having an installed toilet facility is not allowed to operate in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States unless it is equipped with an installed and operable MSD of a type approved by the U.S. Coast Guard to meet the requirements of 33 CFR Part 159.

Manufacturers of marine equipment designed to receive, retain, treat, or discharge sewage and any process to treat such sewage on board a vessel may apply to any recognized facility accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard for certification of MSD. PIA is recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard for evaluating, inspecting and testing marine sanitation devices for compliance with US and IMO standards and regulations. PIA is:

Accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Recognized Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing marine sanitation devices for compliance with the standards and regulations in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322).
Accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Qualified Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing of sewage treatment plants for compliance with the standards and regulations in IMO Resolution MEPC.159(55) and in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322).

U.S. vessels on international voyages may obtain a U.S. Coast Guard Statement of Voluntary Compliance to demonstrate compliance with international sewage regulations contained in Annex IV to MARPOL 73/78. More information is available in the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular No. 1-09.

Links:: » Homepage United States Coast Guard - Marine Sanitation Device; » U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Documents:: U.S. Coast Guard Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular No. 1-09

EU Inland - Directive 2012/49/EC

PIA is accepted by the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine as Technical service for the approval of on-board sewage treatment plants according to article 14a.12 of the Rhine Vessel Inspection Regulations (CCNR Resolution 2010-II-27) and Directive 2006/87/EC (modified by Directive 2012/49/EC). PIA offers the following services:

Testing for type approval of onboard sewage treatment plants
Special test to determine the present state of the on-board sewage treatment plant after non-compliance
Inspection for conformity of the on-board sewage treatment to the type-approved on-board sewage treatment plant type

Links:: » Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine

Compliance Testing

PIA offers testing for compliance during ship operation as required for example by Alaskan Regulations for cruise ships and EU Regulations for inland passenger vessels.

Alaska – 33 CFR Part 159 Subpart E

PIA is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Recognized Facility for collecting and testing effluent in certain Alaskan waters from cruise vessel operations for compliance with the standards and regulations in Subpart E to 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 1(a)(4) in Pub. L. 106-554.

Special Area, Alaskan waters

In the year 2000 the U.S. Congress established separate requirements for the discharge from cruise ships with a capacity for 500 or more passengers and operating in certain Alaskan waters. It prescribes regulations for the discharge of sewage and graywater, sampling and testing of discharges, reporting and record keeping. Discharge into the applicable waters of Alaska is prohibited unless the cruise vessel has a Type II MSD installed that treats sewage and graywater, is not less than one nautical mile from the nearest land and moving at a minimum of six knots.

In addition, advance notification has to be made to the appropriate Captain of the Port (COTP) 90 days prior to each initial entry into the applicable waters of Alaska. Certification of participation under a Quality Assurance / Quality Control Plan (QA/QCP) for sampling and analysis has to be provided and must contain information about

sampling techniques,
laboratory test methods,
laboratory quality assurance procedures and
data validation.

Collection and analysis of the samples must be done by an independent USCG-accepted laboratory and can be carried out worldwide. Within a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 120 days prior to each initial entry, a certification has to be provided that the effluent meets the effluent standards for USCG Type II MSDs. Within 30 days of each initial entry, a Vessel Specific Sampling Plan (VSSP) containing information about ship particulars such as

passenger and crew capacity,
daily water use,
holding tank capacity,
discharge and sampling ports and
sample and discharge documentation

has to be provided to the COTP for review and acceptance. The COTP directs sampling and testing for conventional and priority pollutants.

Links:: » U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); » Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation – Cruise Ship Program

Inland - Directive 2012/49/EC

PIA is accepted by the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine as Technical Service for the approval of on-board sewage treatment plants according to article 14a.12 of the Rhine Vessel Inspection Regulations (CCNR Resolution 2010-II-27).

No later than three months after the commissioning of the passenger vessel or, in the case of retrofitting of the on-board sewage treatment plant, after it has been installed and the appropriate performance test has been carried out, a random sample shall be taken during operation of the passenger vessel in order to check the values as set out in the following table. Sampling has to be performed by a Technical Service.

Control values to be observed in the outflow of the on-board sewage treatment plant during operation on board passenger vessels
Parameter	Concentration	Sample
Biological oxygen demand (BOD⁵) ISO 5815-1 and 5815-2 (2003)¹	25 mg/l	Random sample, homogenised
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)² ISO 6060 (1989)¹	125 mg/l	Random sample, homogenised
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)² ISO 6060 (1989)¹	150 mg/l	Random sample
Total organic carbon (TOC) EN 1484 (1997)¹	45 mg/l	Random sample, homogenised
¹ Member States may implement equivalent procedures. ² Instead of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) the total organic carbon (TOC) may also be referred to for the check.

Aktuelle News

News

PIA GmbH approved by U.S. Coast Guard as Independent Laboratory for testing of Ballast Water Management Systems

PIA GmbH expands maritime testing services as an Independent Laboratory (IL) and received a letter of acceptance by the United States Coast Guard Office for Operating and Environmental Standards for testing of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) to meet the requirements in 46 CFR 162.060.

IL Acceptance

PIA provides this service in collaboration with its sub-laboratories:

Ankron Water Services GmbH, Germany
Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore SAS, France
Golden Bear Facility at California State University Maritime Academy, USA
Phoenix Testlab GmbH, Germany

In addition, PIA is accepted by the U.S. Coast Guard for testing of marine sanitation devices and oily water separators:

Recognized Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing marine sanitation devices for compliance with the standards and regulations in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322).
Qualified Facility for evaluating, inspecting and testing of sewage treatment plants for compliance with the standards and regulations in IMO Resolution MEPC.227(64) and in 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 312 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1322).
Recognized Facility for collecting and testing effluent in certain Alaskan waters from cruise vessel operations for compliance with the standards and regulations in Subpart E to 33 CFR Part 159 as promulgated under section 1(a)(4) in Pub. L. 106-554.
Designated Facility for performing approval testing on pollution prevention equipment (PPE) for compliance with the standards and regulations contained in IMO Resolutions MEPC.107(49), MEPC.108(49) & MEPC.240(65) and 46 CFR 162.050, as promulgated under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.). PPE includes 15 ppm bilge separators and 15 ppm bilge alarms.

Joint paper on non-conformities with marine sewage regulations for greywater

The paper explores non-conformities with marine sewage rules. It follows previous joint-papers on chlorination disinfection without de-chlorination, no-sludge and recirculation-via-influent. These non-conformities are widening the gap between rules and realities.

The article Opinion: Grey Water Related Non-Conformities Need to be Addressed can be accessed via the following link:
https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/opinion-grey-water-non-conformities-need-to-be-addressed

For further information, please refer to the following related publications:

Sewage Chlorination Without De-chlorination: A Certified Impossibility
https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/sewage-chlorination-without-de-chlorination-a-certified-impossibility
Call for Action on Sewage Treatment with No-Sludge Production
https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/call-for-action-on-sewage-treatment-with-no-sludge-production
MEPC 74 Agrees to Revise MARPOL Annex IV While Non-Conformities Spread
https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/mepc-74-approves-revisions-of-marpol-annex-iv-and-its-guidelines
Sewage from Ships – Rules and Realities
https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/sewage-from-ships-rules-and-realities-1

Seventh HELCOM Cooperation Platform on PRF in the Baltic Sea

Seventh HELCOM Cooperation Platform on Port Reception Facilities (PRF) in the Baltic Sea meeting will be held at the premises of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) on Wednesday, 13 September 2017. Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention, Observer Organizations as well as other public sector institutions and relevant stakeholders are invited to the meeting of HELCOM Cooperation Platform.

The meeting will particularly focus on the ongoing project of the developement of a “Best Practice Guidance for the handling of wastewater in Ports" for the Special Area Baltic Sea, as well as the results of the CLIA simulation exercise on MARPOL Annex IV Special Area and practical case studies of specific ports, including proposals for next steps for consideration by HELCOM MARITIME 17-2017.

Practical information for participants and the provisional programme are available on the CP PRF 7-2017 Meeting Site in HELCOM Meeting Portal.

Amendments to resolution MEPC.227(64) adopted

On its seventieth session the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) adopted resolution MEPC.284(70) on Amendments to the 2012 Guidelines on implementation of effluent standards and performance tests for sewage treatment plants. The resolution includes new forms of certificates of the type approval for sewage treatment plants. Compliance with the special area requirements in regulation 9.2.1 of MARPOL Annex IV is now certified on a separate certificate of type approval.
The Baltic Sea Special Area will take effect on:
- 1 June 2019 for new passenger ships;
- 1 June 2021 for existing passenger ships other than those specified below; and
- 1 June 2023 for existing passenger ships en route directly to or from a port located outside the special area and to or from a port located east of longitude 28˚10' E within the special area that do not make any other port calls within the special area.

Konstituierende Sitzung eines Arbeitskreises der DIN-Normenstelle Schiffs- und Meerestechnik

Am 26.10.2016 findet die konstituierende Sitzung eines Arbeitskreises der DIN-Normenstelle Schiffs- und Meerestechnik zur Normung der Prüfung von Abwasserbehandlungsanlagen an Bord von Seeschiffen statt.

Für Kläranlagen zum Einsatz an Bord von Seeschiffen ist eine Zulassungsprüfung vorgeschrieben. Da jedoch die für eine Zulassung maßgebliche Prüfung im Regelfall an Land stattfindet, bilden die Prüfrahmenbedingungen die Wirklichkeit an Bord nicht ausreichend ab. Aufgrund einschlägiger Erfahrungen bezüglich der Funktionstüchtigkeit geprüfter Anlagen an Bord erscheint die Festlegung einheitlicher und reproduzierbarer Rahmenbedingungen zur Schaffung von Wettbewerbsgleichheit sehr sinnvoll. Die Infragestellung geltender Vorschriften zu den Ablaufwerten ist kein Bestandteil dieses Normenprojekts. Eine Norm zur „Prüfung und Verifikation von Anlagen zur Abwasserbehandlung an Bord von Seeschiffen“ sollte z.B. folgende Punkte berücksichtigen:

Einheitliche Testbedingungen
Aussagekräftiger Testzeitraum
Vergleichbarkeit der Leistungsangaben
Verknüpfung vorhandener Zulassungsprüfungen (MEPC.227(64), RheinSchUO, Richtlinie 2006/87/EG (geändert durch Richtlinie 2012/49/EG), 33 CFR Part 159, …)
Verifizierung der installierten Anlagen (Compliance)
Instrument zur Qualitätssicherung im Rahmen der Zulassung von Anlagen zur Abwasserbehandlung an Bord von Schiffen

An der Mitgestaltung der Norm Interessierte wenden sich bitte bis 19.10.2016 an:

Dr-Ing. Jens. U. Jendroßek
Projektmanager der NSMT

Geschäftsführung

PIA - Prüfinstitut für Abwassertechnik GmbH

Marine Services

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

Dipl.-Ing. Markus Joswig

News

PIA GmbH approved by U.S. Coast Guard as Independent Laboratory for testing of Ballast Water Management Systems

Joint paper on non-conformities with marine sewage regulations for greywater

Seventh HELCOM Cooperation Platform on PRF in the Baltic Sea

Amendments to resolution MEPC.227(64) adopted

Konstituierende Sitzung eines Arbeitskreises der DIN-Normenstelle Schiffs- und Meerestechnik