Componente de fortalecimiento Este componente se contempló en el segundo objetivo específico, basado en el fortalecimiento de la autoimagen y el auto

It is a system that monitors and controls the discharge into the sea of oily mixtures from cargo pump rooms and cargo tank areas, such as dirty ballast water and oily tank washings (IMO, 1997c, 36). The following requirements for ODMC systems are established in Regulation I/15(3)(a):

a. The system shall continuously record:

(1) The discharge of oil in litres per mile and total quantity of oil discharged; or

(2) In lieu of the total quantity of oil discharged, the oil content of the effluent and rate of discharge.

b. The system shall come into operation when there is any discharge of effluent into the sea.

c. The system shall automatically stop any discharge of oily mixture when the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content exceeds 30 litres per nautical mile. d. The discharge shall be stopped in case of any failure of the monitoring and

control system.

Dirty ballast water or oil contaminated water shall not be discharged into the sea through outlets that are not controlled by the ODMC.

3.4.2 Oil/water interface detector

According to Regulation I/15(3)(b), oil/water interface detectors shall be used in slop tanks and in other tanks where oil and water are separated by gravity and from which is intended to discharge effluents direct into the sea. Such instruments, which may be portable or permanently installed, shall rapidly and accurately determine the oil/water interface in these tanks and should be capable of detecting the vertical position of the interface at any level of the tank.

3.4.3 Oil filtering equipment

This equipment is designed to remove enough oil of oily mixtures from machinery space bilges and from fuel oil tanks that carry ballast, in order to ensure the oil content of any oily mixture discharged into the sea after passing through the system does not exceed 15 ppm.

The effluent from this equipment should be able to be recycled to the bilge or bilge water holding tank (MEPC/Circ.235). The removed oil residues are retained on board in sludge tanks and later discharged to reception facilities.

Oil filtering equipment may be provided with a bilge alarm, which comprises an oil content meter for measuring the oil content of the oily mixtures treated by the equipment. The alarm is activated when the oil concentration of the effluent to be discharged exceeds 15 ppm.

Table 3 shows the pollution prevention equipment required on board ships according to Annex I of MARPOL 73/78. The equipment required for oil tankers to

deal with oily wastes from slop tanks as well for any kind of ship to deal with oily wastes from machinery space bilges is indicated.

Table 3. Pollution prevention equipment required under Annex I of MARPOL 73/78. Type of ship Equipment Regulation Oil tankers ≥ 150 GT ODMC system I/15(3)(a)

Oil/water interface detector I/15(3)(b) Any ship ≥ 400 GT and < 10000 GT 15 ppm oil filtering equipment I/16(1,4) Any ship ≥ 10000 GT and

Any ship ≥ 400 GT and < 10000 GT carrying ballast water in fuel oil tanks

15 ppm oil filtering equipment with bilge alarm and automatic stopping device

I/16(1,2,5)

Source: MARPOL 73/78 Annex I

Appendix 4 shows the applicable IMO guidelines and specifications for the pollution prevention equipment mentioned above.

3.4.4 Exemptions

Regulation I/15(5) considers cases in which the Administration may waive the requirements of slop tanks, ODMC and oil/water interface detectors for oil tankers. Regulation I/16(3)(a) considers cases for waiving the requirements of oil filtering equipment. However, in both cases ships shall retain on board all oily mixtures and bilge waters, respectively, for subsequent discharge to reception facilities.

Ships of 400 GT and above but less than 10,000 GT, carrying ballast water in fuel oil tanks in which is not reasonable to fit 15 ppm oil filtering equipment with alarm and automatic stopping device, should retain on board dirty ballast waters from fuel oil tanks and discharge them to reception facilities (Unified Interpretation 7.1.1.1.2 to Regulation I/16(1)).

Regulation I/2(2) establishes that ships other than oil tankers, fitted with cargo spaces constructed and utilised to carry oil in bulk of an aggregate capacity of 200 m3 or more, shall comply with certain requirements that are applicable to oil tankers, such as slop tanks and ODCM systems. Table 4 shows the conditions for exemption from such requirements to this kind of ship that carry less than 1,000 m3 of oil in bulk.

Table 4. Exemption of requirements for non-oil tankers carrying 200 m3 or more but less than 1,000 m3 of oil in bulk as cargo

Requirement Conditions for exemption

Slop tanks Retention of oil on board for discharge to reception facilities ODMC system Retention of all oily water on board for discharge to reception

facilities

Source: MARPOL 73/78 Annex I 3.5 Oil sludge incinerators

Oil sludge incinerators are another means for the disposal of oil residues generated from shipboard operations. The composition of an oil sludge incinerator system is indicated in the MEPC Circular MEPC/Circ.235 of 13 December 1990 "Guidelines for systems for handling oily wastes in machinery spaces of ship."

This type of equipment is not indicated in the regulations of Annex I. However, incinerators for oil residues and auxiliary boilers suitable for burning oil residues are included in the Record of Construction and Equipment for ships other than oil tankers and for oil tankers, Forms A and B, respectively, of the International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP) Certificate, as means for the disposal of residues in addition to sludge tanks.

Additionally, in the Oil Record Book, Part I - Machinery Space Operations, which applies to all ships, incineration is considered among the methods for the disposal of oil residues. The sludge produced as a consequence of the incineration has to be disposed of to reception facilities (Sasamura, 1984, 9).

The MEPC adopted the Resolution MEPC.59(33) “Standard specification for shipboard incinerators,” which later was amended by Resolution MEPC.76(40). This specification applies to incinerator plants with capacities up to 1500 kW per unit. The design, manufacture, performance, operation, functioning, testing and certification of incinerators intended to incinerate garbage and other shipboard wastes generated during the ship’s normal voyage service, such as wastes associated with maintenance and operation, are covered by this specification. This specification applies to oil sludge, because it is waste generated due to the ship’s operation, but excludes oil generated slops from the cargo area.

Regarding the use of incinerators, it is important to take into account provisions on this regard of the Helsinki Convention. According to Regulation 9 of Annex IV of this convention, the incineration of ship-generated wastes on board ships, irrespective of their nationality, operating in territorial seas of contracting parties of the Helsinki Convention is prohibited. The fact that the presence of chemicals in the exhaust gases emanating from incineration is harmful for the environment and human health is one of the supporting reasons for the inclusion of this regulation in the Helsinki Convention (HELCOM 14/8, 1993).