Forward progress for oil discharge monitoring system

According to UK company Rivertrace Engineering, three new territories have opened up for a technology that offers Port State Control surveyors a full demonstration of a vessel?s compliance with stringent ballast discharge regulations, after Rivertrace announced first orders for its Smart Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment in India and Turkey, and a distribution deal in Japan.

Under the MARPOL Convention, since 1 January, 2005, all newly built oil tankers of 150 GRT and above have had to have an oil discharge monitoring and control system on board, including an approved oil content meter, with starting interlock and automatic overboard valve control.

However, while having the required equipment is now a necessity, Rivertrace says that shipowners are increasingly finding that demonstrating that the system truly operates in compliance with discharge limits set out in resolution MEPC 108(49) to PSC is a different matter. The company?s Smart ODME incorporates a ?simulation operating mode?, specifically designed for this purpose.

“While this equipment is demanded by law, it is not used daily, or even weekly,” said sales manager Graham North. “When PSC wants a demonstration that oil discharge monitoring equipment is working, it places an extra burden on crew, outside their routine tasks. Often, operating manuals will have been misplaced.

“The Smart ODME?s simulation mode allows crew to demonstrate all equipment parameters without actually discharging. Oil concentration, pressure, and flow rate can be checked to calculate the discharge rate, documenting the fact that the valve will open within the required limit of 30 litres per nautical mile, and close once this limit is reached. A record is created each time the simulation mode is used”.

As well as its operational benefits, North said that shipbuilders and owners had been attracted to the Smart ODME because it incorporates a valve pump cell unit that is fit for use in hazardous zones. Comparable systems require the pump, motor and measuring cell to be installed on separate sides of the relevant bulkhead. The measuring cell itself contains all calibration data and can be easily changed at the time of each IOPP 5 year survey.

“Because the compact pump is ATEX-approved [Appareils destinés ? ?tre utilisés en ATmosph?res Explosibles], the only bulkhead penetration necessary is for cabling, meaning that the Smart ODME is easier to install for the shipyard, and easier to maintain for the crew.” said North.

With IMO approval secured through Germanischer Lloyd, and type-approval from the US Coast Guard, ClassNK, Bureau Veritas and the China Classification Society already, Rivertrace claims to be the market leader for shipboard oil discharge monitoring equipment supply in Asia, with thousands of its ?plug and play? Smart ODME units supplied to South Korean and Chinese yards.

Now, the company has won its first orders via an Indian yard. Four Smart ODME shipsets have been specified for chemical and oil product tankers under construction at ABG Shipyard Ltd and Modest Infrastructure, ordered through local representative Advanced Materials and Tribology.

Elsewhere, Besiktas Shipyard and Selay Shipyard have specified a number of Smart ODME shipsets, in initial orders in Turkey, in this case through distributor Delmar Marine.

Potentially even more significant, after two years in search of the right partner in Japan, Rivertrace has reached a formal marketing agreement with marine equipment trading house LGE Japan, supported by a service agreement with MEC Co Ltd.

The Smart ODME is available in a fully electric version for newbuildings, or in a pneumatic version for retrofitting to ships operating under older regulations.

“We are seeing a lot more business for this technology on the retrofit side,” North added. “Because of the lay-out of our system, we can use the piping and cabling that is already on board and offer a full retrofit service which, in most cases, avoids hot work.”