Tallink vessel pumps wastewater into City of Helsinki's sewer system

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A story in Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday, that passenger vessels of the Estonian shipping company Tallink were still emptying their sewage into the Gulf of Finland, sparked widespread public disapproval in Finland. Some members of Internet message boards even threatened to organise a boycott of the company's ships.
      On Monday, Tallink announced that it would henceforth discharge its effluent into the sewer system in Helsinki while its vessels are in port.
     
On Tuesday afternoon, the Romantika was the first Tallink vessel to pump its washing water and sewage into the city's sewer system, as other shipping lines' vessels have been doing already for years.
      Depending on the number of passengers, the total amount of sewage from one large passenger vessel is 90 cubic metres on average. Wastewater treatment costs a shipping line one euro per cubic metre.
      In the harbour, both washing water and toilet water are pumped into the same pipe, through which the sewage is transferred to the Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant.
     
The wastewater treatment process consists of many stages including mechanical, biological, and simultaneous chemical treatments, after which the water still passes through biological filtration.
      The process removes 95% of phosphorus and organic matter, and an average 80% of nitrogen compounds.
      The treated wastewater is led back to the open sea through a submarine rock tunnel. The discharge point is about 10 km offshore.
     
The wastewater furore has also spilled over into Finnish presidential politics. The Social Democratic Party has chartered the Tallink vessel Victoria for a cruise to mark the nomination of President Tarja Halonen for re-election next weekend. About 2,000 supporters are to take part in the cruise.
      “We contacted Tallink’s CEO immediately and demanded that the wastewater issue should be fixed”, said Jukka Beurling, chairman of the SDP’s environmental group Villiruusu on Monday.
      “It would be preposterous and ridiculous for us to pollute the Gulf en masse”, Beurling said.
      He added that the CEO understood the concerns of the SDP, which has taken protection of the Baltic Sea as one of the focal points of its environmental policy.
      “It would be preposterous and ridiculous for us to pollute the Gulf en masse”, Beurling said.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Tallink ships still discharging sewage into Baltic Sea (14.11.2005)

Links:
  Tallink
  Wastewater treatment in Finland

Helsingin Sanomat