Discharge of bilge water on vessels is a normal part of operations. However, discharge of mineral oil as part of the bilge water is generally undesirable since this oil contains numerous organic compounds - most of which are not easily biologically degradable.
Since this is generally considered to be hazardous to the environment and health, many ships have an oily water separator installed to clean bilge water before discharge. However, more often than not the separator performs to required standards only if it was recently cleaned and in perfect trim. And even then, the oily water separator has problems dealing with the oil content.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) stipulates a maximum of 15 ppm for bilge water discharged into open waters. CJC™ Blue Baleen OilAbsorb Systems make it possible to polish bilge water effectively and in an environmentally friendly way that meets IMO standards.
