>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases HK's Interpretation of Cargo Hold Bilge Water Adopted by IMO The Marine Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has played a major role in solving the confusion surrounding the interpretation of regulations governing cargo hold bilge water. In the past, a lack of a uniform interpretation among port authorities in this regard under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex V had been causing difficulties in shipping operations. The problem facing many ship operators was whether such water should be treated as garbage and handled in the same way as other dry cargo residues. Addressing the concerns of the industry, the Marine Department and the Hong Kong Shipowners' Association (HKSOA) has successfully solved the problem. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), at its 44th session in March, accepted the joint submission by Hong Kong and Australia that MARPOL Annex V should not be applied to cargo hold bilge water. The guidelines for the implementation of the annex has been accordingly amended with the following clarification: "Cargo material contained in the cargo hold bilge water is not treated as cargo residues provided that the cargo material is not classified as a marine pollutant in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code and the bilge water is discharged from a loaded hold through the vessel's fixed piping bilge drainage system." Saturday, 24 June 2000
		2009 | Important notices | Privacy Policy Last revision date : 11 November 2011