holding tanks mandatory

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ColinR

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I just read in the latest Cruising magazine that holding tanks are now mandatory in Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Greek, Turkish and French waters. Does anyone know any more about this? Do I really have to fit a holding tank before I next go across the Channel or to NW Spain?

cheers, Colin
 
To be polite, yes. This is perhaps not the place for a heads up. Certainly, even in my day (antes 2008) Turkey was essential.

If you are planning on long term cruising, you need a holding tank - research it well - and a system of Y valves to enable straight to sea/to tank/pump out...

Holding tanks are best if high under the deckhead. I have suffered.
 
I get the impression from reading other posts on this subject that proper pumpout facilities are few and far between and so am opting for a porta potti, 40 or 50 quid off ebay and problem solved economically and simply. Also thinking about taking out my sea toilet & replacing it with PP. I can't really understand why some people seem (to me) to be getting more stressed than they need to over the issue of holding tanks unless I am missing something. If I am can someone let me know...:confused:
 
sailorman said:
new builds come as std.
in Holland there not enough "pump-outs" so dont worry i am informed by locals
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As a 'local' I can tell you that is not true. Toilet discharge has been banned on Dutch inland waters since the beginning of 2009. Advance notice was given a couple of years ago and pump-out facilities have been installed in great numbers. The good news is that they are considerably cheaper than the UK and in some cases, free. The 'no-dump' rule is Europe wide. The Dutch are enforcing it quite vigorously whilst other places, particularly France (where there are very few disposal facilities) are more 'relaxed'

In Hollands inland waters its ok to pump out pee but not poo. Who does anyway?
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No its not. Thats certainly not what the regulations say. But on the other hand, who's to know unless a female crew member goes in for a bit of 'blotting':)
 
If you're going to call a bucket a holding tank then you should at least get a lid.:eek:

I fitted a tank some years ago for sailing in the Solent to avoid unsociable discharges in harbours, and so that I could fit a sensible one for my boat rather than wait until someone legislated on a minimum size, etc. If I can fit one on my boat then any modern boat (1970's onwards) has room for one easily.
 
pheran said:
As a 'local' I can tell you that is not true. Toilet discharge has been banned on Dutch inland waters since the beginning of 2009. Advance notice was given a couple of years ago and pump-out facilities have been installed in great numbers. The good news is that they are considerably cheaper than the UK and in some cases, free. The 'no-dump' rule is Europe wide. The Dutch are enforcing it quite vigorously whilst other places, particularly France (where there are very few disposal facilities) are more 'relaxed'

No its not. Thats certainly not what the regulations say. But on the other hand, who's to know unless a female crew member goes in for a bit of 'blotting':)
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What do the regulations say exactly?
and how are they being vigorously enforced?
 
ColinR said:
Do I really have to fit a holding tank before I next go across the Channel or to NW Spain?

cheers, Colin
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Although the regulations apply Europe-wide I can only comment on what is happening in the Netherlands. The guidance issued by the authorities there goes to great lengths to stress that although toilet discharge into the inland waterways is banned from 1/1/2009, you do not have to fit a holding tank. It points out that there are the alternatives of using on-shore facilities that are present in nearly all marinas and town moorings or of using an on-board chemical toilet. The ban is on toilet discharge - the solution is left to individual boat-owners.
 
beneteau_305_553 said:
What do the regulations say exactly?
and how are they being vigorously enforced?
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The regulations don't appear to differentiate between pee and poo. Toilet waste is toilet waste although as I commented above, who is to know if the odd pee is discharged overboard. Further information is available here http://www.vuilwater.info/files/folder_toilet_waste.pdf

The Dutch equivalent of our ENVAG seemed very active this year in collecting water and river/canal bed samples from popular mooring spots and in the towns, far more so than in previous years and we witnessed them at work on several occasions. Waterside property owners too seem to be taking an active interest and we saw one report a German-flagged boat to the Havenmeester when 'evidence' was spotted in the water. Although there doesn't appear to be any system of routine inspection in place yet (presumably that will come) there are stories of owners being questioned about the plumbing when being stopped for other reasons. If this is the case, visiting foreign-flagged boats would seem to be more at risk.

Overall, we can hardly blame them - toilet discharge into UK inland waters has been banned for years.
 
ColinR said:
I just read in the latest Cruising magazine that holding tanks are now mandatory in Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Greek, Turkish and French waters. Does anyone know any more about this? Do I really have to fit a holding tank before I next go across the Channel or to NW Spain?

cheers, Colin
Click to expand...

The article in Cruising actually said "...... holding tanks (or serious limitations on discharges overside) are now required by boats visiting Dutch, Danish...... etc etc "
 
If it really is applicable to Greece it is a ludicrous requirement. With almost no effort at all I can name ten Greek ports into which the town's sewage is discharged untreated. In Astakos there was so much H2S in and on the water that my white antifouling turned black.
 
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