1.Potable Water Testing

The Marine Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 is the platform of International Labour Organisation (ILO) to implement standards for the employment and living conditions for workers onboard vessels. Standard A3.2 Food and Catering states that "Each member shall adopt laws and regulations or other measures to provide minimum standards for the quantity and quality of food and drinking water and for the catering standards that apply to meals provided to seafarers on ships that fly its flag, and shall undertake educational activities to promote awareness and implementation of the standards referred to in this paragraph"

According to WHO "Guide to Ship Sanitation" (Third Edition) "A ship operator's role is to provide safe water to passengers and crew, fit for all intended purposes. Water on board should be kept clean and free from pathogenic organisms and harmful chemicals. Responsibilities are to monitor the water system, particularly for microbial and chemical indicators, to report adverse results under the IHR 2005, where required, and to take corrective action".

Each flag state lays down minimum requirements to ensure that drinking water of appropriate quality is made available. Requirements vary however and meeting the criteria laid down by a particular flag state might not be enough to ensure high levels of water quality needed by the various Port State Authorities.

EU Directive 98/83/EC Testing Protocol The EU Drinking Water Directive sets minimum quality standards for water intended for human consumption (drinking, cooking, other domestic purposes), in order to protect EU citizens from contamination. The Drinking Water Directive laid out minimum requirements as regards the monitoring programmes in its Annexes II - Monitoring and Annex III - Specifications for the analysis of parameters.

The purpose of check monitoring is regularly to provide information on the organoleptic and microbiological quality of the water supplied for human consumption as well as information on the effectiveness of drinking-water treatment (particularly of disinfection) where it is used, in order to determine whether or not water intended for human consumption complies with the relevant parametric values laid down in this Directive.

The following parameters must be subject to check monitoring. Member States may add other parameters to this list if they deem it appropriate.

2.IMO Environmental Regulations Compliance Monitoring

The IMO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, sets global standards for international shipping safety, security and environmental performance. Its main role is establishing a regulatory framework that is fair and effective, universally adopted and implemented within the shipping industry. Measures cover all aspects of international shipping – including ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal – so that the sector remains safe, environmentally sound, energy efficient, and secure.

Some regulations set numerical limits or prompt the shipowner to conduct analysis to certain discharges such as:

◆ Biological testing of BWMS during commissioning(IMO D-2)

◆ Exhaust Gas Scubber Washwater

◆ Fresh Water