Magic pipe

A magic pipe is a surreptitious change to a ship's oily water separator, or other waste-handing equipment, which allows waste liquids to be discharged in contravention of maritime pollution regulations.[1]

For the animated film, see The Magic Pipe.

Manipulation techniques

The pipe may be improvised, aboard ship, from available hoses and pumps, to discharge untreated waste water directly into the sea. As ships are required to keep records of waste and its treatment, magic pipe cases often involve falsification of these records too.[2][3] The pipe is ironically called "magic" because it bypasses the ship's oily water separator and goes right overboard. Therefore it can make untreated bilge water "magically disappear".[4] Often the pipe can be easily disconnected and stored away into a different spot of the ship so state and regulatory officers would not be able to detect its usage. The use of magic pipes continues to this day as well as efforts to improve bilge water treatment to make the use of magic pipes unnecessary also continue.[4]

In the United States, magic pipe cases often attract large fines for shipping lines, and prison sentences for crew.[1] Cases are often brought to light by whistle blowers,[5] including a 2016 case involving Princess Cruises, which resulted in a record US $40 million fine.[6] On older OWS systems bypass pipes were fitted with regulatory approval. These approved pipes are no longer fitted on newer vessels.[7]

In some serious emergencies ship's crews are allowed to discharge untreated bilge water overboard, but they need to declare these emergencies in the ship's records and oil record book. Unregistered discharges violate the MARPOL 73/78 international pollution control treaty.[8][9]

Motivation and responsibility

The problem is worsened by a lack of facilities in developing countries; some port reception facilities do not allow for oily water to be discharged easily and cost effectively.[10] Crew members, engineers, and ship owners can receive huge fines and even imprisonment if they continue to use a magic pipe to pollute the environment.[4][11] Conclusively, some engineers use the magic pipe manipulation technique because of:

  • 1. Lack of training
  • 2. Lack of shore side assistance with regard to bilge water treatment
  • 3. Simple disregard of the ocean environment.[4]

Proper process

The oily bilge waste comes from a ship’s engines and fuel systems. The waste is required to be offloaded when a ship is in port and either burned in an incinerator or taken to a waste management facility. In rare occasions, bilge water can be discharged into the ocean but only after almost all oil is separated out.[12]

gollark: Keanu: blaming it all on inflation.
gollark: I mean, *used* ones at least are reasonably priced.
gollark: Ifones be bad & overpriced.
gollark: 🌵
gollark: 🌵

See also
  • Oily water separators
  • Oily water separator (marine)
  • Oil Content Meter
  • Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment
  • Marpol Annex I
  • Marpol 73/78
  • Port Reception Facilities
  • IMO

References
  1. "Beware of the 'Magic Pipe'" (PDF). 2008-07-25. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  2. "Magic pipe incident draws huge fine". All Business. 2010-12-13. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  3. ""Magic pipe" cases continue in US – so do severe fines and banning of vessels - BIMCO". 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  4. "Magic Pipe: The Mystery of the Illegal Activity Still Continues on Ships". Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  5. "Lloyd's List - Regulation - Lemissoler magic pipe case collapses". 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2010-12-13.(subscription required)
  6. "The $40m 'magic pipe': Princess Cruises given record fine for dumping oil at sea". The Guardian. 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  7. "Carnival Cruise Lines Hit With $20 Million Penalty For Environmental Crimes". NPR. 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  8. "Bulker operator cops plea in "magic pipe" case". MarineLog. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  9. "German bulk carrier company fined $3.2 million for 'magic pipe' oil discharges". Work Boat. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  10. "A corrupt corporate culture". The Motorship. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  11. "Caribbean Princess, Star Princess, Grand Princess, Coral Princess and Golden Princess?". Cruise Law News. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  12. "The $40m 'magic pipe': Princess Cruises given record fine for dumping oil at sea". The Guardian. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.