Bilge water cleaning technique gains US Coast Guard approval

The offshore shipping sector can benefit from a new bilge water cleaning system, which ensures that the purity of discharged water more than satisfies the latest maritime regulations.

Marinfloc’s Emulsion Breaking Bilge Water Cleaning System Mk III Model CD is guaranteed to deliver effluent processed water with an oil content of less than 5ppm, says marine biologist Martin Gombrii. This complies comfortably with the new International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulation, MEPC 107/49, which stipulates an oil-in-water content of 15ppm maximum. The Mk III system is also one of only two approved by the US Coast Guard. Among the requirements for this certificate is the ability to operate normally at a tilt of 21.5º.

Marinfloc redeveloped its existing bilge water treatment system to meet the new IMO requirement that the system should be able to treat emulsions. This is done by means of a flocculation process, which leads to a rapid breakdown of the emulsions.

When the flocks have been skimmed off, the water passes through three stages of polishing filters, which reduce the oil content to less than 5 ppm. Purity is checked by an oil-content meter before the water is pumped overboard. The treatment process costs only $2 per cu m of cleaned water.

Materials in the polishing filters can be regenerated on site by passing steam through them, and only need occasional topping up. Cartridge filters used in many competing products cost less, but have to be changed relatively frequently. From a life-cycle cost perspective, therefore, the Marinfloc system offers better economy, Gombrii claims.

The new system is available in units of 0.25-5 cu m/hr. It has a small footprint in relation to its capacity, with an overall size about half that of previous systems.•

For more information contact Martin Gombrii, Marinfloc. Tel +46 304 104 98, fax +46 304 100 51, [email protected], www.marinfloc.com.