The Commonwealth Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 (POTS Act) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (referred to as MARPOL 73/78), contain warship exemption clauses to avoid compromising the operational capability of complex vessels. Warships are exempt due to their specialist roles, extreme space constraints, large numbers of embarked personnel and the increased occupational health and safety risk of retaining wastes on-board.
Despite these exemptions, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has instituted strict waste management practices throughout the fleet, consistent with MARPOL regulations. The Navy Environment Management System (NEMS) and Maritime Activities Environmental Management Plan (MA EMP) provides the policy guidance and procedures to be followed by Navy vessels to manage ship generated waste, including the treatment, handling and disposal requirements for the different waste types. These include the management of waste oil and oily wastes, sewage, greywater, garbage and other solid wastes. Ship generated waste is processed onboard in a manner consistent with international marine environment protection regulations or otherwise returned to port facilities for appropriate disposal ashore.