Is a holding tank required to visit the French coast

[markch]

Can anybody tell me if you require a holding tank to visit France, we are going over to the Channel Islands and then on to France if the weather permits in August. Hope somebody can help, cheers

 

[john_morris_uk]

Channel and Atlantic Coasts - No you don't.

Med coasts - I don't know the latest.

 

[mandlmaunder]

The French and anything to do with shite are surely not allowed in the same Forum
too many worms in too many cans

 

[markch]

Thanks for the info, will watch out for you when we come down the river from Cargreen.

 

[mocruising]

Not required in Med, Spain,France,Italy,Greece,Montenegro,Croatia but may be in Turkey.

 

[jimbaerselman]

[ QUOTE ]
Med coasts - I don't know the latest.

[/ QUOTE ] For private leisure boats holding tanks are not required. However, you're not allowed to discharge sewage (or even 'grey water') within 6nm of the coastline in most countries, and if caught doing so you face a fine. Doesn't leave you many options!

 

[pheran]

Anyone know the position on French inland waters? Is a holding tank required?

 

[PeterGibbs]

Refinement to the above:

More countries are imposing demands for holding tanks in new vessels: as we all know the pumpout facilities across Europe are almost non-existent.

Even the above countries all permit foreign boats to enter without holding tanks.

BUT countries such as Turkey have strict laws on any discharges, that can be interpreted as literally any used water, and will fine for infringement. Such countries are not interested in the internal mechanisms of visiting boats, they just ban all discharges.

French waters do not yet have any such restrictions. Saying which, I note, gladly, a growing upgrading of sailors' habits in not polluting any sea/port waters in any way that can be sensibly avoided. This adds up to using the heads ashore!!!

PWG

 

[wsanders]

We're hiring a charter boat on the Canal du Midi near Carcassonne in a few weeks. I was surprised, none of the charters have holding tanks. (Their inland charters in the UK and Germany do.)

Guess we won't be doing any swimming, eh? And I think I'll skip the local oysters.

 

[Gunfleet]

Back of an envelope calculation suggests 72 000 000 000 litres of (slow) flowing water in the Canal du Midi alone. How many hire boats? Like you I wouldn't swim in it or eat fish from it but maybe a water engineer can speculate how big a risk you run just being on it. I've a feeling it's not too bad.

 

[wsanders]

Thanks - that's a lot of water but there are also lots of tourists. They are having a drought there, although navigation is not restricted, the water is probably moving a little slower than usual, and in all the pictures I've seen the water is kind of a skanky grey color. OTOH, by September, most of France is back at work, and if we want to swim many of the little towns have municipal pools. I'm sort of expecting Venice-quality water (where's the puking smiley for that?), maybe aerated a tad from passing through the locks, ha ha. The charter company says not to worry though, so I'm not.

I bet they won't be able to get away with this much longer. Although right know as far as I can tell there are no pumpout stations on the Midi. Where I live in California it's practically a hanging offense to even have a blackwater system that's capable of discharging overboard, inland or offshore. Although it is said that wiring your Y-valve shut is OK.