In ships, operation, oil and chemicals are deliberately or accidentally discharged into our water ways most of them which come from refueling, boat maintenance and bilge discharge into our waterways most of them which refueling, boat maintenance and bilge discharge . Oil and chemical can be toxic to marine and human life . Oil and chemicals on board the ship product that are pollutants and will harm the marine environment
Petrol oil
spills occur through
-
Gear box oil
-
Motor
oil
-
Two
stroke oil
-
Diesel
/fuel
-
Hydraulic
oil
-
Cooling
system additives
-
Cleaning
agents
-
Degreasers
-
Acid
and paints
-
Pipeline
leakage including transfer houses
-
Cargo
tank
-
Bunker
tank overflow
-
Hull
leakage
Once
these toxins enter our water way
they have potential tor retard or prevent the reproductive development of many marine animals ,
which can have a flow on effect
through the whole ecosystem
Contaminated fish stocks and filter feeders such as
oysters and mussels can also pass on harmful chemicals to human if consumed
However clean bilges help educe
pollution , also absorbents can be used to mop up excess oil or fuel, the
bilges are also washed with biodegradable degreases or detergents and dispose
of any cleaning resides
offshore
If
oil does spill into water, use
absorbents to mop it up and let
the original harbor master, marine
manger or port authority know so
that it can be cleaned up as soon as possible . Do not use dispersants
or cleaning chemicals because they can
increase the toxins effects of oil spills
How to handle oil and chemical
As a HSE officer ,I participated
actively in marine pollution control and I helped to reduce oil and chemical entering our water
ways
The
measures I took were
During
refueling
Inserted
the nozzles into the factor before the
pump were started
Always
turned off the pump and ensure that the flow of fuel has stopped before removing the nozzle .
Always
checked the fuel tank capacity before
they refueled
Watched
the breathers for signs of blow out
or overflow
-
Ensure the bilges were cleaned before
discharging were made
-
Always
supervised the operation of bilge pump to ensure that only water was being pumped into the water ways
-
Revised the installation of bilge pumps float switch to stop oil accident
ally discharging with bilge water ways
-
Cleaned
waste oil from bilge using absorbents
and make sure the degreases, detergents or bodies gradable produce
used were not discharged into water ways
For everyday check scrubbing used clean water, any only chemicals for severe staining for any accidental spill on board, I cleaned
it up with absorbent or spray saw dust to absorb it on
various occasions, I conducted oil spill risk assessment
To
know the impact of our operation on the
marine environment