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STANAG 4167

STANAG 4167 pollutant discharge connections for sewage and oily water

NATO nations and NATO bodies that operate ships fitted with sewage and oily waste handling systems

STANAG 4167 is NATO's agreement committing member nations to implement ANEP-94, the publication covering pollutant discharge connections for sewage and oily water between ships and shore facilities.

Edition
2
Published
2019-05-10

What it is

What STANAG 4167 covers

STANAG 4167 is the NATO standardization agreement that gives force to ANEP-94, Edition A, the Allied naval engineering publication on pollutant discharge connections for sewage and oily water. A STANAG is not itself a technical specification: it is the agreement by which NATO nations commit to implement one, and the actual connector specifications sit in the Allied Publication it covers. This STANAG responds to an interoperability requirement stated plainly in the document: to "provide common connection fittings and adapters" so that ships can offload sewage and oily water "to shore facilities or auxiliary craft in NATO Navy supporting sustainment of NATO and Partner Navy ships." Read plainly, that means the STANAG exists so that any NATO or Partner navy ship can pump its waste ashore, or into an auxiliary craft, using a connector another nation's facility can accept, not so that a particular treatment process is mandated.

This is Edition 2, promulgated 10 May 2019. It supersedes an earlier edition of STANAG 4167, Edition 1.

The four connection types nations agree to provide

The STANAG "is considered to be implemented when a nation has made available one or more connections for the discharge and reception from each ship fitted with sewage and oily waste handling systems," through any of four named interfaces: an IMO sewage flanged fitting, a NATO quick-disconnect sewage coupling, an IMO oily water flanged fitting, or a NATO quick-disconnect oily water coupling. The document specifies these four interfaces by name but says nothing about how often they must be exercised, how they are tested, or which shore facilities must be equipped to receive them; it addresses only the connector a ship must be able to offer.

Who ratifies it, and how it takes effect

The mechanism that matters here: a STANAG binds a nation, not a shipyard or an equipment supplier. Nations "are invited to examine their ratification of the STANAG and, if they have not already done so, advise the NSO of their intention regarding its implementation," and the national decision is recorded in the NATO Standardization Document Database (NSDD). Once ratified, the agreement "is effective upon receipt and ready to be used by the implementing nations and NATO bodies." A shipyard or a fitting manufacturer meets ANEP-94, or this STANAG, only where a contract or a tender brings it in by name, not because the STANAG exists on its own.

Reporting and review

Nations are invited to report on their effective implementation of the STANAG, and partner nations on their adoption of it, "in accordance with AAP-03." The STANAG "is to be reviewed at least once every five years," with the result "recorded within the NSDD," and nations or NATO bodies may propose changes at any time through a standardization proposal to the tasking authority, the NATO Naval Armaments Group (NNAG) and the Ship Design Capability Group (SDCG).

How it's evaluated

No certification exists here, and the document names none. What it describes is a national ratification, fitting-provision and review cycle run through NATO's own machinery, not an audit against this STANAG as such. Whether a given ship actually carries one of the four named connections is a matter for a nation's own naval standards and any customer's quality clause to check, not something an accredited or notified body assesses.

How we help

STANAG 4167 and ANEP-94 describe a physical interoperability requirement, not a management system: fitting a ship with a compatible sewage or oily water connection is naval architecture and shipyard work, done at build or refit, not something software does. What that leaves to evidence is the paperwork around it: procedures that correctly reference ANEP-94 and this STANAG when specifying a new build or a refit, records showing which of the four connection types a given ship carries, and the trail an internal or customer audit asks for afterwards.

ComplyTrain holds that evidence as a modern, auditable system: version-controlled procedures, fitting and inspection records tied to named vessels and dates, and corrective actions when a gap turns up, all searchable when a higher headquarters or a customer's quality clause asks for it. It does not fit ships with discharge connections, does not decide how a nation implements the agreement, and does not replace the ratification and reporting nations carry out themselves through the NSDD and AAP-03.

The applicable tier here, and whatever else it comes with, is set by the contract and the customer's quality clause. If you are working out what sits alongside STANAG 4167, the standards explorer covers the related NATO naval publications, and we are glad to talk through what that means in practice.

Standards it references

Questions

Is STANAG 4167 mandatory?

Not in general. It binds a nation once that nation ratifies it, and it reaches a shipyard or equipment supplier through a contract or a tender that names ANEP-94 or this STANAG, not by existing on its own. Whether it applies to a given programme is set by the tasking or contract in front of you.

What is the difference between STANAG 4167 and ANEP-94?

STANAG 4167 is the agreement: the letter of promulgation, the ratification record, and the reporting and review machinery. ANEP-94 is the publication itself, the Allied naval engineering publication that sets out the connector specifications. The STANAG is the cover; ANEP-94 is the content.

What connections does STANAG 4167 require?

The document names four: an IMO sewage flanged fitting, a NATO quick-disconnect sewage coupling, an IMO oily water flanged fitting, or a NATO quick-disconnect oily water coupling. A nation is considered to have implemented the STANAG once each relevant ship carries one or more of these.

What edition is current, and what did it replace?

Edition 2, promulgated 10 May 2019. It supersedes an earlier edition of STANAG 4167; the document available to us does not give that earlier edition's date.

Is ComplyTrain certified against this agreement?

No. There is no accredited certification for STANAG 4167 or ANEP-94 to hold, and ComplyTrain does not claim one. What we support is the evidence trail around fitting records and procedures for pollutant discharge connections, at an informational level.

How often is STANAG 4167 reviewed?

At least once every five years, with the result recorded in the NATO Standardization Document Database. Nations and NATO bodies can also propose changes at any time through a standardization proposal to the tasking authority.