Sources of bilge water and of oil in bilge water were surveyed aboard five ships of the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company. The ships included two powered by steam turbines, one by a uniflow steam engine, one by a conventional reciprocating steam engine, and one by a diesel engine. It is found that many sources of bilge water are clean sources. Although no accurate estimate of the water thus contributed to the bilges can be offered, it is concluded that diverting these sources from the bilges could ease the task of separating, storing, and disposing of oil wastes. Several samples of water were taken from each ship, and analyzed for total, fixed and volatile non-filterable residue, color, pH, turbidity, total organic carbon, and oil and grease concentration.

Issued July 1974. Prepared by Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan, for National Environmental Research Center, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under program element Contract Number: 1BB038.