Storage of wastes from watercraft and disposal at shore facilities

The program was undertaken to establish the effects and acceptability of a watercraft impoundment system in controlling the principal waste sources, sanitary and galley waste, with disposal at a shore facility. A demonstration unit was designed, built, and installed by Electric Boat on a commercial tugboat, and operationally tested and evaluated under routine working conditions for a period of two months. Results of the test data were analyzed, and component performance and system effectiveness were evaluated. Equipment and installation costs, as well as system operating costs, were identified. Sea water flushing was used for the water closets and urinal, but water conservation was used in the form of specially designed sanitary flush control and galley sink volume control devices to allow use of relatively small (120 gallon capacity) holding tank. The corrosion-resistant tank was provided with a level sensing system, an odor controlled vent line, an automatic flushing system, and a high level alarm. Shore-side transfer of the impounded wastes by suction pump-out of the tank via a quick-connect deck fitting was demonstrated. Solid galley waste was stored in a specially designed trash compactor. All components and subsystems performed effectively and reliably throughout the test phase.