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1.0 Introduction

1.1 The Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations that were introduced in 1993 permitted a ship en route in the inland waters of Canada to discharge from its ship’s machinery space an undiluted effluent containing no cargo oil, chemicals, or any substances introduced for the purpose of circumventing the Regulations, providing an alarm and a discharge stopping device were activated when the oil content in the effluent exceeded 5 ppm. To achieve this criteria required the fitting of a “bilge alarm” capable of detecting and measuring 5 ppm of oil in the oil/water effluent mixture.

1.2 The Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and for Dangerous Chemicals that replace several regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, including the Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations, retain the provision to permit 5 ppm discharges in Canadian inland waters. The requirements of the Regulations and of this publication have, however, been updated to account for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) ‘Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery Space Bilges of Ships’, Resolution MEPC.107(49). Systems fitted on ships with 5 ppm bilge alarms that were approved under the Oil Pollution Prevention Regulations and Resolution MEPC.60(33) may continue to be used.

1.3 Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this Standard should be forwarded to the Director, Operations and Environmental Programs, Marine Safety, Transport Canada, Tower C, Place de Ville, 330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N8 (Fax No. 613-993-8196).

1.4 Information on the ISO can be obtained from the Standards Council of Canada, 270 Albert Street, Suite 200, Ottawa, Ont. K1P 6N7, telephone: (613) 238-3222, fax: (613) 569-7808, http://www.scc.ca/en/index.shtml.

2.0 Definitions ^

2.1 “accredited testing facility” means a testing laboratory that has been accredited in accordance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, as being capable of carrying out the test procedures determined by this Standard;

2.2 “accredited testing laboratory” means a laboratory that is accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 as being capable of making a successful determination of oil content in accordance with IMO Resolution MEPC.107(49), Part 4;

2.3 “bilge alarm” means an oil content meter with associated alarm;

2.4 “Board” means the Board of Steamship Inspection;

2.7 “ISO/IEC 17025” means ISO/IEC 17025 “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”, latest edition;

2.8 “IMO” means International Maritime Organization;

2.9 “ISO” means International Standards Organization;

2.10 “MEPC” means the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the IMO;

2.11 “ppm” means parts per million, by volume;

2.12 “Resolution MEPC.107(49)” means the IMO recommendation entitled Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery Space Bilges of Ships.”

3.1 The requirement for bilge alarms for ships in Canadian inland waters are set out in sections 17, 28 and 187 of the Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and for Dangerous Chemicals (the Regulations).

4.1 The approval requirements for bilge alarms specified in this Standard are summarized as follows:

1. In addition to having undergone tests and obtained a Certificate of Type Approval in accordance with Resolution MEPC.107(49) of the IMO, for a 15 ppm bilge alarm, the bilge alarm shall comply with the requirements of this Standard to enable it to be used as a 5 ppm bilge alarm in Canadian inland waters.
2. Where an apparatus has undergone a particular test or requirement in order to qualify as a 15 ppm bilge alarm in accordance with IMO Resolution MEPC.107(49), the apparatus need not undergo an identical test or requirement for the purposes of this Standard.
3. The bilge alarm shall be tested for type approval in accordance with Part 2 of this Standard.

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