Accidental Oil Spillage and Leakage

Ship's personnel should maintain a close watch for the escape of oil at the beginning of and during loading or discharging operations. Care should be taken to ensure that pipeline valves, including drop valves, are closed if not in use. Cargo or bunker tanks which have been topped up should be checked frequently during the loading operations to avoid an overflow.

If a leakage occurs from a pipeline, valve or hose, operations through that connection should be stopped until the cause is established and the problem is removed. If a pipeline, hose or arm bursts or if there is an overflow, all cargo and bunker operations should be stopped immediately and should not be restarted until the fault is removed and all hazards from the released oil eliminated. If there is any possibility of the released oil or of petroleum gas entering an engine-room, appropriate preventive steps should be taken.

An adequate supply of absorbent (saw dust, etc.) should be kept onboard for fast removal of any oil spillage on deck. This must include an immediate availability of a small portable air-driven pump to handle large overflows.

Before any cargo pumping, all deck scuppers must be effectively plugged to prevent spilled oil to escape into the water around the tanker. Accumulations of water should be drained periodically and scupper plugs replaced immediately after water has been run off. Oily water should be transferred to a slop tank.

MARPOL 73/78

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by its Protocol of 1978, is one of the most important international conventions of marine pollution by oil, chemicals, and harmful substances in packaged form, sewage, and garbage. The Convention is usually known as MARPOL 73/78, the word MARPOL means marine pollution.

Oil pollution of the sea was first recognized as a problem before the First World War and during the 1920s and 1930s various countries introduced measures to control discharges of oil within their territorial waters, in the ports and harbours. But no agreement had been reached before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Pollution resulting from tanker accidents was beginning to cause some concern, the convention was primarily aimed at pollution resulting from routine tanker operations, which was the greater cause of oil pollution from ships. When a tanker has discharged its cargo it has to fill some of its cargo tanks with ballast water in order to provide the necessary stability and to ensure that the propeller and rudder are properly immersed for the voyage back to the loading port. Mixtures of oil and water also result from tank cleaning, which is generally done by spraying the tank walls and bottom with water.         

Pollution can also come from engine room bilges of all ships (not only tankers), since bilge water is always contaminated by oil. In 1954 the normal practice was to pump these mixtures of oil and water into the sea. The 1954 convention attempted to tackle (решать) this problem in two main ways:

a) It established " prohibited zones" extending at least 50 miles from the nearest land in which the discharge of oil or of mixtures containing more than 100 parts of oil per million was forbidden.

b) It also required Contracting Parties to take all appropriate steps to promote the provision of facilities for the reception of oily water.

The increasing amount of' chemicals and oil being carried at sea and a growing concern for the world's environment as a whole made people feel that the 1954 convention was no longer adequate (достаточный), despite the various amendments which had been adopted.

Most of the technical measures are included in five annexes to the convention which deal not only with oil, but with all forms of marine pollution:

Annex I — Oil

Annex II — Noxious (вредный, ядовитый) liquid substances carried in bulk (e.g. chemicals)

Annex III — Harmful (вредный, опасный) substances carried/in packages (e, g. tanks).

Annex IV — Sewage

Annex V — Garbage.

Only a handful (небольшое количество) of countries ratified the convention in the years immediately following its adoption. The 1978 Protocol to MARPOL introduced stricter regulations for the inspection and certification of ships. MARPOL 73/78 requires:

1. An initial survey before the ship is put in service or before an International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate is issued.

2. Periodical surveys at intervals not exceeding five years.

3. A minimum of one intermediate survey during the period of validity of the OРР Certificate.

4. Unscheduled inspection or mandatory (обязательный) annual surveys must be carried out

Exercise 3. Answer the following questions.

1. What dangerous problem does our generation face?        

2. What is the most important anti-pollution treaty ever adopted by IMO?

3. When was the problem of oil pollution first recognized?

4. What convention did the 1954 conference adopt?

5. What was the greater cause of oil pollution from ships?

6. In what way does a tanker contaminate its ballast water, with oil?

7. Can discharge of oily water be made only from tankers which causes oil pollution of the sea?

8. How did the 1954 convention attempt to tackle/solve the problem of pollution?

9. What do the five annexes to the convention deal with?

10. What regulations for the inspection and certification of ships did the 1978 Protocol to MARPOL introduce?

Exercise 4. Make up a dialogue of your own based on the one given below and answer the questions.

 Is the ship equipped in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships?

Why do you think so?

Inspector: Does your ship under normal conditions carry ballast water in her oil fuel tanks?

Chief Engineer: No, never.

Insp.: What separating or filtering equipment do you have on board?

Ch. Eng.: She is fitted with the separating equipment capable of producing effluent with oil content not exceeding 16 ppm.

Insp.: What type of control system have you got?

Ch. Eng.: Our control system includes 15 ppm alarm and automatic stopping device for discharges in special areas.

Insp.: What is the maximum throughput of the system?

Ch. Eng.: 1.5 m3/h.

Insp.: Is the ship provided with oil residue (sludge) tanks?

Ch. Eng.: Yes, we’ve got 2 tanks for oil residues with the total capacity of 10 m3. And there is also a pipeline for the discharge of residues to reception facilities, fitted with a standard discharge connection.

Insp.: Will you show your International Oil Prevention Certificate?

Ch. Eng.: Here you are. By the way, the annual survey was held a month ago.

Insp.: I see your ship is equipped in accordance with the provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. And who is responsible for the equipment?

Ch Eng.: The fourth engineer.

Insp.: I’d like him to show me your equipment working.

***

•     Why has the inspector come on board the ship?

•     How can the ship prove that she is not to blame for the oil slick?

Inspector: Good afternoon. I am an inspector of the Department of Marine Pollution Control The point is that we have found a big oil spot/slick on the water surface not far from your ship.

Chief Engineer: I'm afraid you are mistaken, Inspector. Our ship has got all the necessary equipment/facilities to prevent any pollution.

Insp.: It's all very good. Perhaps I am wrong, but I am under duty to check all the possible sources of pollution. Do you keep an Oil Record Book? Oh yes, according to your entries you have had no spillage for a long time.

Ch. Eng.: By the way, I can show you our International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate. And you can make a tour of the ship to make sure that there are no traces of oil spillage/spill or oil leakage. Have you taken oil samples from that area?

Insp.: Yes, we have.

Ch. Eng.: Then I ask you to take samples of oil from our tanks and the analysis will show if those samples are identical or not.         

Insp.: Thank you for your assistance, Sir.

***

Exercise 5. Learn the following standard expressions.

Reporting and cleaning up spillage

1.    Leak at manifold connection!

2.    Overflow at...!

3.    Stop pumping!

4.    Pumping stopped.

5.    How much spill?

6.    Spill about... ton(s).

7.    Clean up spill with....

8.    Stand by oil clearance team.

9.    Oil clearance team standing by.

10.  All crew assist to clean up spill.

11.  Spillage stopped.

12.  Spill cleaned up.

13.  Oil /... escaping into water!

14.  Inform pollution control (according to oil spill plan) and report.

15.  Pollution control informed.

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