Drainage - Machinery Space

• Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1996 (POOP Regulations)

• Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) (Amendment) Regulations 2000

These Regulations give effect in the UK to MARPOL 73/78 Annex 1 (see supporting legislation below).

The North West European waters area is made a “special area” for the purposes of Annex 1 to MARPOL 73/78. The area includes the North Sea and its approaches, the Irish Sea and its approaches, the Celtic Sea, the English Channel and its approaches and part of the North Sea Atlantic immediately to the west of Ireland.

• Merchant Shipping Act 1995
• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 73/78
• Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) (Amendment) Regulations 1994:

Arrangements for Survey and Certification Part VI of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1995 makes provision for the prevention of pollution from ships. It implements in the UK the requirements of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) 73/78. MARPOL defines ship to include offshore installations and relevant provisions of MARPOL are applied to offshore installations. Annex 1 of MARPOL relates to prevention of oil pollution and has provisions for machinery space drainage that are applied to offshore platforms.

United Kingdom Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate (UKOPP) or IOPP Certificate for a foreign flagship unit.

Note: Offshore installations may obtain a temporary exemption from the requirements to have a UKOPP certificate under an informal agreement between Oil & Gas UK and the MCA. These exemptions are based on the grounds of cost and technical difficulties versus the small amounts of machinery space discharge involved pending MCA review leading to a more formal and final arrangement. New installations will need to demonstrate their "equivalence" to other offshore installations where temporary exemptions are being issued. Any new installations seeking to obtain a UKOPP certificate is unlikely to satisfy the certifying body unless they fully comply with the requirements.

Hazardous and non-hazardous drainage that is not machinery space drainage (i.e. oily drainage resulting from process operations) is covered by the OPPC Regulations (see OPPC Summary Table and Hazardous/Non-Hazardous Drainage for more information).

If all drainage (including any minor machinery space drainage) is treated via the hazardous and non-hazardous drainage system that deals with all the process drainage, it is expected that this will fall under the OPPC Regulations and require an OPPC permit rather than a UKOPP certificate (see Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Drains).

For first certificate for UKCS registered MODUs, operator must request Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to conduct survey of oily water drainage and treatment systems; MCA then issue the certificate.

For renewal of certificate, operator must request Classification Societies to re-survey the machinery space drainage and treatment systems; Classification Societies then renew the certificate.

The first certificate will be issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA website).

Thereafter, certificate is renewed by the Classification Societies.

The North West European waters have been designated as a Special Area under Annex I of MARPOL. Within North West European waters ships of 400 GT or above (which includes MODU’s) are permitted to discharge processed water (i.e. Oily Drainage Water) from machinery spaces as long as the following conditions are satisfied:

• The water does not originate from the cargo pump room bilges;
• The water is not mixed with cargo oil residues;
• The ship is proceeding on a voyage;
• The oil content of the effluent, without dilution, does not exceed 15 ppm of the mixture;
• The ship has in operation oil filtering and oil content measuring equipment and alarm devices of a design approved in accordance with the “Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery Space Bilges of Ships”; and
• The oil filtering system is equipped with a stopping device, which will ensure that the discharge is automatically stopped if the oil content of the effluent exceeds 15 ppm of the mixture.

With respect to MODU’s the requirements of the regulations “shall be considered met” by the regulatory authority “if the discharge of processed bilge water from machinery spaces is undertaken when there is a positive water movement past the installation, i.e. at times of the day when the tidal flow is at its greatest, and provided there is no visible sheen”.

Record all discharges, together with date, time, and method of discharge, disposal route, any system failure and accidental oil spills, in the Oil Record Book.

Regular reporting is not required, although backdated entries in the Oil Record Book must be maintained for at least 3 years. Inspections will be undertaken periodically to ensure compliance.

Non-compliance would constitute a breach of United Kingdom/International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificates requirements and might be discharge of drainage water at more than 15 ppm or failure to properly keep the Oil Record Book. If a discharge outside of legal requirements is made then it should be recorded in the Oil Record Book which has to be kept available for inspection.