By Robert Spencer
Oily Discharge
Littlehampton Harbour board has a long standing Notice to Mariners about the potential problems of automatic bilge pumps discharging oily water into the harbour .
The notice says , in part :
“ The attention of boat owners and operators is drawn to the potential of automatic bilge-pumps for causing pollution in the waters of the harbour .
The notice goes on to say that the harbour board takes such pollution seriously and will work with the Environment Agency to catch offenders .
Whilst this notice only applies in Littlehampton , the sentiment applies everywhere .
Discharging oil into the sea is anti-social and probably illegal . It is a Marpol requirement that oil in discharged bilge water should never exceed 15ppm ( parts per million ).
So what can be done ? The notice recommends considering turning off automatic bilge pumps . Your correspondent is not going to do that .
The following is based on advice offered by the Canal and River Trust .
Well maintained engines shouldn ’ t leak oil . Check the drip trays underneath , if they keep getting oily , find and mend the leak . If any engine oil is spilt , mop it up using absorbent pads ( or a nappy ).
In the event of an unexpected rise in bilge levels , the timely operation of an automatic bilge-pump can save a vessel from sinking .
However , should the vessel ’ s bilges be contaminated with oil or sludge , or should the rise in bilge-level be due to an internal leakage of fuel , then automatic activation of the pump while the boat is moored alongside unattended could result in pollution of the harbour ”.
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