MDG is puzzled by the sewage ban for boats: – Messy and abrupt

– The most intelligent way to do this would be to notify regarding it in the autumn so that people can fix their boats during the winter, says Hansson to NTB.

On 31 May, the government announced that from 1 July it would be prohibited to discharge sewage from leisure boats into the Oslo Fjord, which was previously legal as long as you were 300 meters from shore. The case had been out for hearing since last winter.

Hansson believes that such a ban with one month’s notice in early summer creates unnecessary trouble and frustration for thousands of boat owners.

– The government is not building support for the fight for the Oslo Fjord with decisions that almost force many to become lawbreakers, at the same time that everyone sees the government procrastinating on measures that are enormously more important in order to cut emissions to the fjord, he says.

He emphasizes that he is very much in favor of stopping emissions from recreational boats.

– But many do not have ready-fitted sewage outlets on their boats so that they can deliver sewage to the harbours. And no one has the opportunity to have it installed now, because all the workshops around the Oslofjord are packed at this time of year. Everyone knows that, says Hansson.

Must go ashore to comply

The MDG politician himself has a boat in the Oslofjord and says that he is now waiting in the workshop queue to have the boat rebuilt.

– In the meantime, I have to take care to go ashore and comply with the ban as best I can, he says.

The Oslofjord is in an ecological crisis, among other things due to pollution and overfishing, according to The Norwegian Environment Agency.

Hansson believes the government must prioritize the major measures to save the fjord.

– But the most concrete, major measure the government has taken in the Oslofjord is to allow even more nitrogen emissions. Then I think it will be strange that the only action they show is a ban on emissions from small boats, which is a very small contribution to pollution of the fjord, says Hansson.

– Strikes down like a sea eagle

He points out that this spring the government gave approval for the explosives manufacturer Chemring Nobel to release more than 150 tonnes of extra nitrogen into the Oslo Fjord. The emissions from leisure boats are very small in comparison, believes the MDG politician.

– But the leisure boats thus attack Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen like a sea eagle, without giving people a real opportunity to follow up. I think it shows clumsiness and wrong priorities, he says.

There is already one action plan for the Oslofjord for the period 2021-2026, but Hansson believes both that it is boasted and that the government is not following it up properly.

– There are very few concrete measures, commitments and money to stop the large nitrogen emissions, save the fish and stop the interventions along the fjord, he says.

The Minister for the Environment: – Everyone must contribute

Hansson recently raised the matter with Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen (Ap) through a questions in the Storting. In the reply, which came this week, Bjelland Eriksen writes that all measures that contribute to improving the environmental condition of the fjord are important.

– The fact that there are also other, larger sources of emissions than sewage emissions from leisure boats does not mean that smaller measures cannot be initiated. Everyone must contribute if we are to be able to reverse the trend, he says.

He nevertheless understands that the ban can be demanding during the start-up period.

– At the same time, this is a ban that has been announced for a long time, and which is one of the measures identified in the Oslo Fjord Plan. I would also like to emphasize that the ban can be complied with in various ways. The regulations do not require that the boat be rebuilt; you can also avoid using the toilet on board or, for example, buy a temporary, portable toilet.

– I think many people agree with me that it is a good thing that boat sewage can no longer be emptied straight into the Oslofjord, he says.

– Better cleaning as soon as possible

Bjelland Eriksen points out to NTB that the permission they have given to Chemring Nobel for the emission of nitrogen applies for a limited period – and with a requirement to reduce the pollution as much as possible.

– We have clear expectations that the company will get better cleaning in place as quickly as possible. When the new treatment plant is ready in 2027, emissions from the company will be lower than they were in 2023, before the new permit. In other words, Chemring Nobel must also contribute to turning around the development in the fjord. We are going to be tough with everyone who has to implement measures, large and small, simply because it is the only way to save the fjord, he says.