[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 210 (Tuesday, October 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54796-54798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-27250]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-2001-10485]


Oily Water Separation Systems

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has established the Oily Water Separation 
Systems Task Force to examine a wide range of issues relating to 
machinery and equipment used to manage oily bilge water on commercial 
vessels. The task force plans to assess the operational requirements, 
reliability, and capability of oily water separators in actual 
operating environments; identify ways to improve the Coast Guard's 
inspection and evaluation of oily water separation systems; and develop 
recommendations for the maritime industry on how to reach its 
environmental goals and ensure compliance with the International 
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the 
Clean Water Act. Your answers to this questionnaire will help the task 
force gather the necessary information to meet these objectives.

DATES: Comments and related materials must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before December 31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related materials are not 
entered more than once in the docket, please submit them by only one of 
the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility (USCG-2001-10485), 
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC,

[[Page 54797]]

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) By electronic means through the Web Site for the Docket 
Management System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and materials received from the public will become 
part of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at 
room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh 
Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also find this docket on the 
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice 
and request for comments, call Ken Olsen, Casualty Analyst/Chief 
Engineer, Office of Investigation and Analysis, Coast Guard 
Headquarters, telephone 202-267-1417. If you have questions on viewing 
or submitting materials to the docket, call Dorothy Beard, Chief, 
Dockets, Department of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in this Coast Guard study by 
submitting comments and related materials. You may submit comments 
anonymously or include your name and address, you must identify the 
docket number for this notice (USCG-2001-10485), indicate the specific 
question of the questionaire to which each comment applies, and give 
the reason for each comment. You may submit your comments and materials 
by mail, hand delivery, fax, or electronic means to the Docket 
Management Facility at the address under ADDRESSES; but please submit 
your comments and materials by only one means. If you submit them by 
mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 
8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you 
submit them by mail and would like to know they reached the Facility, 
please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. Your 
comments are important to this study and will enhance the Coast Guard's 
understanding of oily water separation systems and bilge water 
management issues. We will consider all comments received during the 
comment period.

Background and Purpose

    The regulations governing all vessel particulars regarding Oily 
Water Separators are found in Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations, 
part 155. Through a mechanical process, an Oily Water Separator (OWS) 
will remove the oil from water that accumulates in the bilge of a 
vessel. As the oil is separated from the water, the water can be 
discharged from the vessel. If the oil content of the water being 
discharged reaches 15 parts per million (ppm), the OWS will 
automatically cease discharging the oily water and retain the oily 
bilge water on board the vessel. In the last few years, the Coast Guard 
has discovered numerous instances of improper operation of OWS 
equipment under the authority of 33 CFR 1.07-10. In some cases, oily 
water separators simply were not used in the discharge of bilge water. 
In other instances, sensitive monitoring devices were disabled. Also, 
certain vessels installed bypass piping, and other vessels routinely 
used the bilge pumping systems to discharge overboard.
    In alignment with the Coast Guard's Prevention Through People 
Initiatives, the task force recognizes that, within the maritime 
industry, vessel engineers, operators, equipment designers, 
technicians, and manufacturers can provide significant insight into the 
operation of OWS equipment and the management of oily bilge water 
onboard foreign and domestic commercial vessels. To gain that 
understanding, the task force has developed the following questionnaire 
for members of the maritime industry to provide comments. The 
questionnaire is intended to obtain a status of current industry 
practices. Respondents are also encouraged to disseminate this 
information and the questionnaire to industry associates.

Questions

    We especially need your assistance in answering the following 
questions. Every question does not need to be answered. Any additional 
information provided on this topic is welcome. In responding to each 
question, please explain your reasons for each answer as specifically 
as possible. You do not need to provide any information identifying you 
or your organization.
    1. Indicate the categories that best describe your function:

    Chief or Assistant Engineer.
    Unlicensed Vessel Engineer.
    Other Vessel Personnel: Captain, Mate, or Crew
    Vessel Owner or Operator.
    Vessel Manager or Superintendent.
    Port Captain or Engineer.
    Naval Architect, Marine Engineer, Manufacturer or Consultant.
    Other: Please describe
    2. Indicate the types of vessels that you have worked on or that 
you have experience with:

    Passenger Vessels.
    Cruise Ships.
    Cargo Ships.
    Tank Ships.
    Pushboats or Tugboats.
    Offshore Crew or Supply.
    Ferries.
    Dredges.
    Drill Rigs.
    Research vessels.
    Government Vessels: Navy, Coast Guard, etc.
    3. Based on your experience, what types of equipment, components, 
tanks, and other machinery are used in handling bilge water?
    4. What kinds of problems occur in the handling of bilge water?
    5. Is the oily water separation (OWS) equipment always used?
    6. What other systems are used to discharge bilges?
    7. Generally, has your experience shown that OWS and oil content 
monitoring equipment (PPM sensors and controls) are reliable in actual 
operating environments?
    8. Are redundant OWS systems necessary? If so, why?
    9. Have modifications been made to originally installed OWS 
equipment by the vessel's crew or others to ensure operation? Please 
explain.
    10. On average, do vessel bilge loads (influx of water and 
contaminates) typically exceed the capacity of the OWS equipment?
    11. Are sufficient operating manuals, information, and guidance 
provided by the vessel operating company or shipboard management?
    12. Does your organization have an environmental policy, and is it 
understood by all employees?
    13. How does your organization ensure that environmental equipment, 
such as OWS equipment, has the proper maintenance, spare parts, and 
other items necessary to ensure effective operation?
    14. What is your organization's policy on reducing and eliminating 
engine room waste?
    15. Does your company employ any additional mechanical measures to 
reduce or eliminate waste?
    16. Has your experience shown that OWS equipment is typically 
installed in a manner that permits effective operational testing of 
controls and alarms, and verification of three-way or process control 
valve operations?

[[Page 54798]]

    17. Are discharge sample points usually provided, and do methods 
exist to process contaminated samples during testing?
    18. What practices can be shared industry wide to best ensure 
proper and effective long-term operation of OWS and bilge management 
equipment?
    19. Please provide any additional comments.
    You may mail, deliver, fax, or electronically submit your responses 
to the questionnaire, as well as any concerns, to the addresses listed 
under the ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    If you would like to receive a copy of the task force report upon 
completion, please provide an e-mail or mailing address.
    Thank you for participating in this survey.

    Dated: October 23, 2001.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standards, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 01-27250 Filed 10-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P