1.1 Oily bilge water is generated by the leakage
of water and oil from the equipment and piping or maintenance works
resulting from the routine operation in machinery space of ships.
Such leaked oil and water are usually mixed and collected on the tank
top or bilge wells as oily bilge water.
1.2 Oily bilge water shall be treated in accordance
with the requirements of the Convention. The operation of such treatment,
including the operation and maintenance of the oily water separator,
is a heavy load for engineers onboard.
1.3 After the revision of the Guidelines and Specifications
for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery Space Bilge of Ships
adopted by resolution MEPC.107(49),
the capability of oily water separators has been improved. However,
the treatment process of oily bilge water with the improved equipment
and the engineers' load will be basically unchanged as the amount
of oily bilge water generated in ships has not been reduced.
1.4 To promote the prevention of oil pollution
from machinery spaces of ships and reduce the load of the engineers
onboard, it is effective to minimize the amount of oily bilge water
generated in machinery spaces.
1.5 MEPC 54 noted the design with the concept
of Integrated Bilge Water Treatment System (IBTS) which provides the
means to minimize the amount of oily bilge water and process the oily
bilge water and oil residue (sludge) as a drastic solution to prevent
oil pollution from machinery spaces of ships.
1.6 MEPC 54, in recognizing the need to disseminate
the concept of IBTS, agreed to append the Guidance notes on IBTS to
the revised Guidelines for systems for handling oily wastes in machinery
spaces of ships.
1.7 The purpose of these Guidance notes is to
provide shipowners and shipbuilders with information to help in the
design of ships incorporating the concept of IBTS.