What happens when disposal at sea is necessary to avert or mitigate an emergency?
Where disposal at sea may be necessary to avert an emergency, please contact the nearest Environment Canada Regional Office immediately. You may also need to contact your nearest Canadian Coast Guard Rescue Centre. Under the Disposal at Sea provisions of CEPA, two separate sections address different emergency situations. One (section 130) concerns emergencies where human life is in immediate danger and disposal at sea is necessary to avert that danger. An example would be a damaged ship jettisoning cargo to avoid sinking. In such a case, disposal is allowed to proceed without the permit, but the person in charge has a duty to report the incident to Federal authorities. The Disposal at Sea Regulations describe what the report must contain. Environment Canada reports details of emergency activities to the >International Maritime Organization. The other section (128) concerns situations where sea disposal is the only feasible solution to avert an emergency that poses an unacceptable risk
