Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Expands Free Collection Visit Service for Water Mixed with Oil Accumulated Under Ship Hulls

Locations of Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation Branches.

[Sejong= Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation announced on the 19th that they will provide a free bilge water collection visit service for small fishing vessels under 10 tons from the 20th to September 19th to alleviate the economic burden on small-scale fishermen struggling due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Bilge water, also called 'bilge,' mainly originates from the engine room of a vessel and refers to a liquid oily mixture (water mixed with oil) that accumulates at the bottom of the ship. Unauthorized discharge into the ocean is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation have been providing free bilge water collection visit services since 2017 for small fishing vessels that lack oil pollution prevention facilities and find it difficult to properly dispose of bilge water.

Typically, processing 1 ton of bilge water costs about 150,000 won when using a fuel tank cleaning company, while using the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation costs 25,000 won. The Ministry and the Corporation have supported cost reduction by processing bilge water free of charge for about 150 vessels annually on average.

In particular, this year, the service period, which was usually conducted for 3 to 4 weeks from May every year, has been extended to five months to support small-scale fishermen facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

To use the free bilge water collection visit service, the vessel must be located within a 90 km round trip from the pollution storage facility operated by the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation. There are 13 pollution storage facilities nationwide, and fishermen can apply for the service at the nearest Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation branch office to their vessel's location.

Fishermen owning vessels under 10 tons can also directly discharge bilge water free of charge into bilge water storage containers installed at 10 Suhyup fuel stations and 54 fishing villages, including the Shindeok Fishing Village in Yeosu. The Ministry and the Corporation collect bilge water discharged into the storage containers free of charge throughout the year, and this year, they plan to install additional bilge water storage containers in 10 more fishing villages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.