Disposal At Sea

Environment Canada (EC) administers a permit system controlling the disposal of waste and other matter at sea. Each permit is granted following a detailed assessment and sets conditions to protect the marine environment and human health.

People walking down the street in Newfoundland and Labrador

General Public

What is disposal at sea?

Workers outside a dredging company

Potential Permittee

Do I need a Disposal at Sea permit for the work I am planning?

Clamshell dredge in action

Existing Permittee

I have a Disposal at Sea permit, now what?

A dredge about to release its content on a barge.

Disposal at Sea Program

A visual description of Disposal at Sea activities in Canada, from coast to coast.

Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) disposal at sea is the deliberate disposal of approved substances at sea from ships, aircraft, platforms or other structures. Each year in Canada, two to three million tonnes of material are disposed of at sea under this system of permits that has been in place since 1975.

Only those substances listed in Schedule 5 of CEPA 1999 may be considered for disposal at sea. These are: dredged material, fisheries waste, ships, inert matter, uncontaminated organic matter and bulky substances. Discharges from land or from normal ship operations (such as bilge water) are not considered disposal at sea, but are subject to other controls.

The majority of the material disposed of at sea is dredged material that must be moved to keep shipping channels and harbours clear for navigation and commerce.