WEEK 12
(bilge alarm).
FROM SHIPS
Ship-related operational discharges of oil include the
discharge of bilge water from machinery spaces, fuel oil
sludge, and oily ballast water from fuel tanks. Also other
commercial vessels than tankers contribute operational
discharges of oil from machinery spaces to the sea.
Cargo-related operational discharges from tankers
include the discharge of tank-washing residues and oily
ballast water.
Before international regulations were introduced to
prevent oil pollution from ships, the normal practice for oil
tankers was to wash out the cargo tanks with water and
then pump the resulting mixture of oil and water into the
sea. Also, oil cargo or fuel tanks were used for ballast
water and, consequently, oil was discharged into the sea
when tankers flushed out the oil-contaminated ballast
water to replace it with new oil.
 Crude oil washing systems (COW) means that
the cargo tanks, where tankers carry the oil they
transport, are cleaned by means of high-pressure
flushing with crude oil ("oil to remove oil") or
crude oil plus water. This reduces the quantity of
oil remaining on board after discharge. The
residues from such tank washing are pumped
into slop tanks and left in a reception facility in
port.
 Segregated ballast tanks (SBT). Ballast water is
taken on board to maintain stability, such as
when a vessel is sailing empty to pick up cargo or
after having unloaded cargo. Ballast water
contained in segregated ballast tanks never
come into contact with either cargo oil or fuel oil.
 Clean ballast tanks. To have so-called
dedicated clean ballast tanks (CBT) means that
specific cargo tanks are dedicated to carry ballast
water only.
 Operational oil separation and filtering
equipment with an automatic stopping device.
Bilge water is produced when the machinery
spaces of a vessel are cleaned. Leaking cooling
water often becomes contaminated with fuel oils
and lubricant oils. Vessels in operation produce
oil-contaminated bilge water to a variable extent.
With the right equipment on board, dirty bilge
water can be processed in a way that separates
most of the oil from the water before it is
discharged into the sea. If the oil content exceeds
the limit, the discharge is automatically stopped
To have so-called dedicated clean ballast
tanks (CBT) means that specific cargo tanks are
dedicated to carry ballast water only. Operational oil
separation and filtering equipment with an automatic
stopping device. Bilge water is produced when the
machinery spaces of a vessel are cleaned.
Slop tanks are the focal point of the Load-On-Top
system used on crude oil tankers to prevent pollution of
the sea. Design of these tanks and their operating
procedures strongly affect the degree of oil-water
separation achieved.
Ballasting or de-ballasting is a process by which sea
water is taken in and out of the ship when the ship is at
the port or at the sea. The sea water carried by the ship is
known as ballast water.
Ballast or ballast water is sea water carried by a vessel
in its ballast tanks to ensure its trim, stability and
structural integrity. Ballast tanks are constructed in ships
with piping system and high capacity ballast pumps to
carry out the operation.
Ballasting and De ballasting Simplified
When no cargo is carried by the ship, the later becomes
light in weight, which can affect its stability. For this
reason, ballast water is taken in dedicated tanks in the
ship to stabilize it. Tanks are filled with ballast water with
the help of high capacity ballast pumps and this process
is known as Ballasting.
However, when the ship is filled with cargo, the stability of
the ship is maintained by the weight of the cargo itself
and thus there is no requirement of ballast water. The
process of taking out ballast water from the ballast tanks
to make them empty is known as de-ballasting.
Disposal of tank washings ,slops and dirty ballast -
chemical tankers guideline
During normal operations of a chemical carrier, the main
need to dispose of chemical residues, slops or water
contaminated with cargo will arise during or immediately
after tank cleaning. Final disposal of slops or washwater
should be in accordance with the ship's P&A Manual.
Tank washings and slops may be retained on board in a
slop tank, or discharged ashore or into barges.
Mandatory pre-wash water
Mandatory pre-wash procedures should be conducted
strictly in accordance with the ship's P&A Manual, and the
resulting contaminated wash water should always be
discharged to shore. The intention of MARPOL is that this
should happen immediately following the cargo discharge
operations, and in the same port. However, occasions do
arise when adequate shore reception facilities for the
washings are not provided, and the ship must retain the
washings on board until arrival at another port. MARPOL
addresses this matter, and the P&A Manual will provide
guidance on the correct procedures for a particular ship.
During such a voyage, the slops and tank washings
should be given the same safety and environmental care
as the original cargo.
Dirty ballast
Dirty ballast, caused by ballasting into a cargo tank before
the tank is cleaned, should be treated as slops, and must
be disposed of in accordance with MARPOL and the
ship's P&A Manual.
Safety precautions during discharge of cargo slops
into the sea
When discharge overboard is permitted, it should only be
undertaken when the ship is at sea normally be below the
waterline through an underwater discharge outlet on the
side of the ship away from essential water inlet valves. In
the interests of safety, this procedure should be adopted
even when it is not a mandatory requirement.
When any discharges are made above the waterline, care
should be taken to avoid cargo vapour or liquid blowing
back on board. If such a risk exists, discharge should be
made below the waterline: if this is not possible,
consideration should be given to altering the ship's
course or speed to reduce the risk, and personnel on
deck should wear appropriate protective clothing.
Management of slop tanks
Compatibility of various cargo and cleaning chemicals
should be considered just as carefully when handling
slops as when handling the cargoes themselves.
Particular care is needed when washing several tanks
which have contained dissimilar cargoes, and
compatibility should be taken into account when selecting
the destination tank for stripped wash water. The
following should be avoided:
• Mixing of slops from Annex I (oil) cargoes with slops
from Annex 11 (chemical) cargoes.
• Mixing of slops from incompatible cargoes.
• Mixing of slops from vegetable oils or fats with chemical
slops or petroleum oil slops.
If the ship's cargo tanks are used as slop tanks, care
should be taken to avoid introducing slops from cargoes
which are incompatible with the tank coating. In this
regard, some cargoes which are themselves compatible
may, when mixed with water, form acids and thus
damage a coating, e.g. slops from hydrolytic cargoes in a
zinc coated tank.
Recommendations
Desloping of any kind of slops to a shore reception facility
is a costly affair. Therefore it is highly recommended that
in the event of any slops generation following pre
agreement / written communication is made with
charterers Operator.
 Advance notification with a clear and well
planned operation for decanting of the slops.
 In case of insufficient time between the ports, a
clear agreement on the extra time required for
decanting.
 Prompt follow up in case vessel is unable to carry
out decanting due to external reasons such as
bad whether condition.
 (a) Clean ballast may not be discharged
overboard unless the discharge is verified
as clean ballast through use of an approved oil
discharge monitoring and control system or, if
discharged before the required oil discharge
monitoring and control system installation date,
by visual examination of the ballast contents
immediately before discharge. This paragraph
applies to discharges of clean ballast:
 (1) From dedicated clean ballast tanks; and
 (2) Into the navigable waters of the United
States from any other tank.
 (b) Segregated ballast may not be discharged
overboard unless a visual examination, or a test
of the ballast contents with an oil/water interface
detector, immediately before the discharge
shows that there is no oily mixture in the ballast.
Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control
system is not required. This paragraph applies to
discharges of segregated ballast:
 (1) Into the navigable waters of the United States;
and
 (2) Below the waterline at sea from an existing
vessel that does not have an above the waterline
discharge point for segregated ballast.
 (c) All discharges of clean ballast and segregated
ballast must be through an above waterline
discharge point described in § 157.11(b)(2),
except that:
 (1) A vessel may discharge clean
ballast and segregated ballast below the
waterline when in port or at an offshore terminal.
 (2) A vessel may discharge clean
ballast and segregated ballast at sea by gravity
below the waterline.
 (3) An existing vessel that does not have above
waterline discharge points for dedicated clean
ballast tanks may discharge clean ballast from
those tanks below the waterline at sea.
 (4) An existing vessel that does not have above
waterline discharge points for segregated
ballast tanks may discharge segregated
ballast below the waterline at sea.