Bilge and ballast systems for general cargo ships 

Arrangements of bilge main:

The bilge system is used to remove small quantities of fluid that

have leaked or condensed into a dry space. The system serves the
machinery spaces, cargo holds, cofferdams, voids, stores, tunnels
and pump rooms. Each space has its own piping but the pump is
likely to be shared.

The bilge main is arranged to drain any watertight compartment

other than ballast, oil or water tanks and to discharge the contents
overboard. The number of pumps and their capacity depend upon
the size, type and service of the vessel. All bilge suctions must be
fitted with suitable strainers, which in the machinery space would be
mud boxes positioned at floorplate level for easy access. A vertical
drop pipe would lead down to the bilge.

The emergency bilge suction or bilge injection valve is used to

prevent flooding of the ship. It is a direct suction from the
machinery space bilge which is connected to the largest capacity
pump or pumps. An emergency bilge pump is required for
passenger ships but may also be fitted as an extra on cargo ships.
It must be a completely independent unit capable of operating even
if submerged.

Bilge and ballast systems are interconnected so that each can

perform the other's function in an emergency, ie a ballast pump
could be used to pump out a flooded engine room. They are
connected by means of a crossover valve.

A centrifugal pump with a priming device is usually used, driven by

an electric motor housed in an air bell. The power supply is
arranged from the emergency generator. A typical system is shown
in Figure . The various pumps and lines are interconnected to some
extent so that each pump can act as an alternative or standby for
another. 
The capacity of a bilge system is defined by the diameter of the
bilge main and pump capacity for the volume of the enclosed space.
In passenger and cargo ships where the engine room provides bilge
pumping, the whole ship is the ‘enclosed space’. 
The diameter of the bilge main is:
d = 25+1.68vL(B+D)
where, d = internal diameter of bilge main, in millimetres
L = length between the ship’s perpendiculars, in metres
B = extreme breadth, in metres
D = moulded depth, in metres

In a tanker with a separate cargo pumping and piping system, the

‘enclosed space’ is the engine room and the diameter of the bilge
main is:
d = 35+3vLo (B+D)
where,
Lo = length of the engine room, in metres

Cargo ships are required to have two bilge pumps with non-return
valves fitted to prevent back-flow or cross-flow.

The pumping system in a passenger ship must be able to drain

water from any dry space when one or more of the ship’s other
compartments are flooded. However, the system is not required to
empty the flooded space. A flooded passenger ship is required to
have at least one bilge pump, with its own power supply, available
for pumping. Bilge suctions must have remotely operated suction
valves. The minimum number of pumps required is three or four,
depending on the ship’s design.

Mud boxes and strum boxes (line filters) are fitted at the ends and
in bilge lines to stop debris being sucked into the pipe. The
requirements for bilge systems on ships carrying dangerous goods
are basically the same as for cargo ships. However, systems
drawing fluids from gas-dangerous spaces are kept segregated with
their own pumps and pipes, where appropriate, from systems
serving gas-safe spaces.

Find out more on bilge and ballast system sketches

The ballast system

The ballast system is arranged to ensure that water can be drawn

from any tank or the sea and discharged to any other tank or the
sea as required to trim the vessel. Combined or separate mains for
suction and discharge may be provided. Where a tank or cargo
space can be used for ballast or dry cargo then either a ballast or
bilge connection will be required. The system must therefore be
arranged so that only the appropriate pipeline is in service; the
other must be securely blanked or closed off. Where tanks are
arranged for either oil or ballast a change-over chest must be Fitted
in the pipeline so that only the ballast main or the oil transfer main
is connected to the tank. 
Fig: Bilge and ballast systems on board

Ballast pumps - Electric-driven pumps, usually vertically mounted

and fitted with separate motor-driven priming systems. Close-
coupled designs have the pump rotor mounted on an extended
motor shaft. This can cause difficulties when there is a need to open
up the pump, as the motor may also have to be dismantled to gain
access. With owners expecting to shorten port turn round times; the
need to get the ballast in or out of the tanks can take on a sense of
urgency. 

Container ships are case in point. With containers stacked perhaps

six high they cannot leave port until the ballasting is correct. This
means that ballast pumps have to move impressive amounts of
seawater. If the operator says the ballast tanks have to be filled or
emptied in a certain time, it is possible to look at this simplistically
and divide their volume by the time to calculate the rate. However,
as the tank empties, the head will reduce, and so will the effective
flow rate. This in turn means the safety margin built in by the pump
manufacturer is reduced, and friction losses in the pipework can
take the flow out of specification.

A priming system with an adequate air-handling capacity is another

important need. The pump/priming system not only has to contend
with the depth of the tanks in the double bottom but also with the
height of the pump above the tanktop. Air ejectors have limited
capacity, so for the larger pumps separate motor driven pumps are
required.