Dollison, John Menry C.

4/7/2021
BSMAREC-2 Aux Mach 211
Auxiliary Machinery 1
Semi Final Assignment No.1

1. Identify and explain the different MARPOL Annexes involve in the

operation of an Oily water separator on board ships.
MARPOL Annex I
Regulation for the prevention of pollution by oil (October 1983).
This regulation was adopted on 2nd October 1983 to control and prevent any
oil discharge from ship intentionally or accidentally. It comprises of 11 chapters
which together contains 47 Regulations. Chapter 1 gives a general description
about MARPOL ANNEX I and consists of 5 regulations which explain the
“Application” of this chapter in different types of the ship along with the
“Definition” of different terminologies which are used in the chapter. The
regulation may not apply to all types of ship hence a separate section of
“Exceptions” and “Exemptions” is also provided. It also explains the condition
where an administrator may allow alternative fittings, materials, appliances etc. to
be installed on ships to fulfil this annex.

MARPOL Annex II
Regulations for the control of pollution by Noxious Liquid Substance in bulk
(April 1987).
This Annex was adopted on 6th of April 1987 which deals with the control
and prevent pollution due to the noxious liquid substance in bulk, intentionally or
accidentally. It comprises of 10 chapters which together contains 22 Regulations.
Chapter 1 gives general details on MARPOL ANNEX II and consists of 5
regulations providing the “Definition” of different terminologies which are used in
the chapter and explains the “Application” of this chapter in different types of ship
(Chemical tankers etc.). The regulation may not be applicable to all types of a ship;
hence a separate section of “Exceptions” and “Exemptions” is also provided. It
also explains the condition where an administrator may allow alternative fittings,
materials, appliances etc. to be installed on ships to fulfill this annex.

MARPOL Annex III

Regulation for prevention of pollution by harmful substance carried at sea in
packaged form (July 1992).
This Annex deals with those substances which are hazardous in nature and
carried in packaged cargo. The identification of such material is provided in the
IMDG Code. The MARPOL Annex III came into force on 1 July 1992 and
comprised of 2 Chapters containing 11 regulations.

2. Explain the Oil pollution act of 1990

One reason Congress enacted the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was to
reduce the occurrence of oil spills through preventive measures and to reduce the
impact of future oil spills through increased preparedness. Section 4115 of
the act requires that tankers operating in U.S. waters must have double hulls

3. Describe the purpose of Oily water separator (OWS).

The primary purpose of a shipboard oily water separator (OWS) is to separate
oil and other contaminants that could be harmful for the oceans. The International
Maritime Organization (IMO) publishes regulations through the Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).

4. What are the components of OWS?

Construction and Working of Oily Water Separator (OWS)

OWS consists of mainly three segments:

1. Separator unit

 This unit consists of catch plates which are inside a coarse separating
compartment and an oil collecting chamber.
 Here the oil having a density which is lower than that of the water, which
makes the former rise into the oil collecting compartment and the rest of the
non-flowing oil mixture settle down into fine settling compartment after
passing between the catch plates.
 After a period of time, more oil will separate and collect in the oil collecting
chamber. The oil content of water which passes through this unit is around
100 parts per million of oil.
 A control valve (pneumatic or electronic) releases the separated oil into the
designated OWS sludge tank.
 The heater may be incorporated in this unit for smooth flow and separation
of oil and water.
 A heater may be incorporated in this unit either on the middle or sometimes
in the bottom part of the unit (depending upon the area of operation and
capacity of the separator equipment) for smooth flow and separation of oil
and water.
 The first stage helps in removing some physical impurities to achieve fine
filtration in the later stage.

2. The Filter unit

 This is a separate unit whose input comes from the discharge of the first unit.
 This unit consists of three stages – filter stage, coalescer stage and collecting
chamber.
 The impurities and particles are separated by the filter and are settled at the
bottom for removal.
 In the second stage, coalescer induces coalescence process in which oil
droplets are joined to increase the size by breaking down the surface tension
between oil droplets in the mixture.
 These large oil molecules rise above the mixture in the collecting chamber
and are removed when required.
 The output from this unit should be less than 15 ppm to fulfil legal discharge
criteria.
 If the oil content in water is more than 15 ppm then maintenance work such
as filter cleaning or renewal of filters is to be done as required.
A freshwater inlet connection is also provided to the filter unit to clean and flush
the filter. This is usually done before and after the operation of an oil separator
unit.

3. Oil Content Monitor and Control Unit

 This unit functions together in two parts – monitoring and controlling.

 The ppm of oil is continuously monitored by Oil Content Monitor (OCM); if
the ppm is high it will give an alarm and feed data to the control unit.
 The control unit continuously monitors the output signal of OCM and if
alarm arises, it will not allow the oily water to go overboard by means of
operating 3-way solenoid valve.
 There are normally 3 solenoid valves commanded by the control unit. These
are located in the first unit oil collecting chamber, second unit oil collecting
chamber and one in the discharge side of the oily water separator which is a
3-way valve.
 The 3-way valve inlet is from the OWS discharge, where one outlet is to
overboard and the second outlet is to OWS sludge tank.
 When OCM gives an alarm, 3-way valve discharges oily mixture in the
sludge tank.

A small pipe connection of fresh water can be provided to the OCM unit for
flushing. Whenever this line is in use, an alarm is sounded and recorded in the
OCM log, ensuring a record to check the discharge valve was shut during this
period.

As in most of the shipping companies, the OWS is meant to be operated only by

the chief engineer, the training levels on OWS systems for other crew members are
found to be very low. The ship operators should ensure onboard guidance and
training are included in the training schedule of the ship.

5. Explain the working principle of an OWS.

The principle of operation of OWS is the gravity difference between oil and

water. The force acting on an oil globule causing it to move in the water is
proportional to the difference in weight between the oil particle and a particle of
water of equal volume.