The story so far
Oily Water Separators (OWS) are being used onboard ships as a regulatory requirement of MARPOL conventions. Their main use is to clear the water that has been accumulated in ship’s bilges and produce water that its contents is within acceptable limits in order to be discharged overboard.
OWS are mainly installed and used onboard to protect the environment and consequently the public interest. Therefore since they don’t produce any “measurable” profit for the ship owner and because they don’t play a critical role to the ship’s structural or operational safety, they don’t get the attention they should be given as a system.
Officer of the Watch 