Separation - a new standard set

摘要

It is now more than four years since the IMO regulation MEPC 107(49) restricting oil-water separators to discharges at 15ppm came into force, but there are still regular reports of contraventions and huge fines being levied as a consequence. It has to be said that most of the illegal discharges are deliberate and not a result of machinery failure, although older machines are sometimes prone to blockage and require more attention than hard-pressed crews are able to give without detriment to their other duties. In the run-up to the 2005 regulations, many separator manufacturers were keen to show that their devices were capable of exceeding the 15ppm IMO requirements and operating at much lower levels. Modifications introduced later were the monitoring devices that allowed tamper-proof records to be kept of the times of use and the standards achieved.