The Hazards Of Untreated Bilge Water Discharge And Environmental Solutions

Though the news of water pollution in 2010 has rightfully focused on the devastating

BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, the world's oceans and waterways suffer pollution from oil and other chemical toxins and biological hazards continuously from numerous sources. Ship pollution is a significant source and one that has increased due to the acceleration of global trade with shipping traffic expected to double by the year 2020.

The pollution from ships comes from more than accidental spills from chemical and oil tankers that are more familiar as news-worthy events. Exhaust fumes eject carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and black carbon into the air, contributing to global warming. Ballast discharge spreads invasive species and harmful algae. Untreated bilge discharge can contain oil, gasoline, human waste, solvents, detergents, chemicals, and more, to negatively affect biodiversity, food, and health in coastal areas, oceans, and waterways.

The bilge is the lowest compartment of a ship's hull where water from rain, small leaks, or rough seas drains down through the ship. Bilge is also often the word used to refer to the water that collects in the compartment that carries with it the machine oils and other substances as it passes through the ship. A large ship can accumulate as much as 8 metric tons of bilge water every 24 hours. This noxious soup of water, chemicals, waste, and oil needs to be pumped out periodically to maintain the stability of the ship and mitigate the hazards to ship's crew from oil vapors.

Since the toxins prevalent in bilge water poses a significant threats to fish, wildlife, and humans even in small concentrations, untreated bilge water is prohibited from being discharged into the water without treatment. Oily water separators must be used to extract the accumulated oil to be incinerated, reused, or offloaded in port safely. If a separator is malfunctioning or bypassed, contaminated bilge can be discharged directly to the detriment of marine life and hefty fines or criminal prosecutions for environmental violations for the ship operators.

Bilge water discharge is regulated by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 amendment of the United States Clean Water Act and the international MARPOL convention that requires most commercial vessels to be fitted with oily water separators to remove contaminants before discharge. It applies to all U.S. ships anywhere in the world and to foreign ships in the navigable U.S. waters and ports. These water quality acts helps to significantly reduce discharges that pollute our waterways to restore and maintain the integrity of our environment

by: Art Gib

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