Oily water separator
Encyclopedia
An oily water separator (OWS) is a piece of shipboard equipment that allows a vessel's crew to separate oil from bilge water
before the bilge water is discharged overboard.
Bilge water is an almost unavoidable product in ship operations. Bilge water that is generated in proximity to shipboard equipment (such as in the engine room) often contains oil and its direct discharge would result in undesirable transfer of waste oil to the marine environment. By international agreement under the MARPOL convention, most commercial vessels need to be fitted with an oily water separator to remove oil contaminants before bilge water is pumped overboard.
Oily water separator equipment has been a shipboard requirement since the 1970s but recently it has become evident that oily water separators have not been as effective as had been assumed, and alleged improper operation of this equipment by crewmembers (sometimes called the magic pipe
) has resulted in criminal prosecutions in the United States
and to a lesser extent in Europe
.
Bilge
The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet at the keel. The word was coined in 1513.-Bilge water:The word is sometimes also used to describe the water that collects in this compartment. Water that does not drain off the side of the deck drains down through the ship into...
before the bilge water is discharged overboard.
Bilge water is an almost unavoidable product in ship operations. Bilge water that is generated in proximity to shipboard equipment (such as in the engine room) often contains oil and its direct discharge would result in undesirable transfer of waste oil to the marine environment. By international agreement under the MARPOL convention, most commercial vessels need to be fitted with an oily water separator to remove oil contaminants before bilge water is pumped overboard.
Oily water separator equipment has been a shipboard requirement since the 1970s but recently it has become evident that oily water separators have not been as effective as had been assumed, and alleged improper operation of this equipment by crewmembers (sometimes called the magic pipe
Magic pipe
A magic pipe is a surreptitious change to a ship's oily water separator, or other waste-handing equipment, which allows waste liquids to be discharged in contravention of maritime pollution regulations....
) has resulted in criminal prosecutions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and to a lesser extent in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
See also
- API oil-water separatorAPI oil-water separatorAn API oil-water separator is a device designed to separate gross amounts of oil and suspended solids from the wastewater effluents of oil refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, natural gas processing plants and other industrial sources...
- Wastewater treatmentWastewater TreatmentWastewater treatment may refer to:* Sewage treatment* Industrial wastewater treatment...
- Magic pipeMagic pipeA magic pipe is a surreptitious change to a ship's oily water separator, or other waste-handing equipment, which allows waste liquids to be discharged in contravention of maritime pollution regulations....