(a) On U.S. inspected ships, oily water separating equipment and bilge alarms must be approved under 46 CFR 162.050.
(b) On U.S. uninspected ships and foreign ships, oily water separating equipment and bilge alarms must be approved under either 46 CFR 162.050 or MARPOL 73/78 Annex I.
A copy of Annex I to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended (MARPOL 73/78) may be purchased from the International Maritime Organization, Publications Section, 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 75R, United Kingdom, Telex 23588; see also http://www.imo.org.
(c) A ship that is required to have a bilge alarm may defer installment and use a previously installed bilge monitor provided the bilge monitor met Coast Guard approval requirements at the time of its installation and it does not allow more than a 15 ppm oil content in water discharge.
(d) The accuracy of the bilge alarms must be checked at IOPP Certificate renewal surveys according to the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively, the unit may be replaced by a calibrated bilge alarm. The calibration certificate for the bilge alarm, which certifies the date of the last calibration check, should be retained onboard for inspection purposes. The accuracy checks can only be done by the manufacturer or persons authorized by the manufacturer.
(e) Ship staff training must include familiarization in the operation and maintenance of the equipment.
(f) The routine maintenance of the oily water separating equipment and the bilge alarm must be clearly defined by the manufacturer in the associated operating and maintenance manuals. All routine and repair maintenance must be recorded.
[USCG-2004-18939, 74 FR 3377, Jan. 16, 2009]