The RTE Smartsafe ORB (oil record book) Bilge Overboard Security System has been developed based on the requests and requirements of our customers worldwide. This system aims to accurately record the process of oily water discharge from any Oil Water Separator (IMO – MEPC 60.33 or 107.49), eliminating the common errors associated with manual entries and log variations in the oil record book. Manual discrepancies in the oil record book are often targeted by Port State Control and other Marine Enforcing Agencies, making it crucial to have a reliable and precise monitoring system.
The Smartsafe ORB offers a straightforward solution by utilizing the ship’s GPS to record the bilge water discharge process. The base unit captures and documents essential information such as the vessel’s time, date, latitude, and longitude at the start and stop of the discharge process. An event summary is displayed on the control screen for easy viewing and serves as an annotation for the oil record book. The system has the capacity to record data from up to three Oily Water Separators (OWS). The recorded data can be conveniently downloaded to a PC, printed, or emailed using the built-in email application. With its ample memory capacity, the Smartsafe ORB can store three years’ worth of typical discharge records. The Smartsafe ORB serves various applications, including providing security for bilge water discharge, functioning as an electronic oil record book, facilitating the monitoring of oily water separator discharge, and acting as a safeguard against illegal practices like the use of a magic pipe.
The SmartSafe Bilge Overboard Security System has been developed out of repeated industry requests to provide a failsafe method of prevention against illegal oil discharge to sea. Illegal discharges involving “Magic Pipes” and ‘Empty’ Oily Water Separators are seen as a major contributor to pollution of the seas and vessels are under increasing scrutiny by Port State Control (PSC) Surveyors globally. The system is primarily designed to prevent illegal oily water discharge to the sea and will record if one has taken place.
Equipment supplied under MEPC 107(49) has a degree of inbuilt increased assurance in that separator status is recorded along with time and date and it should not be possible for clean water to be used when in the discharge cycle, but even this record and control cannot prevent the “Magic Pipe” type of discharge. For a system to be effective, all aspects of the discharge process should be monitored and recorded. The SmartSafe achieves this by utilising the separator control, oil content output, flow rate and cumulative flow through the discharge pipe and in addition, records the ship's GPS position, speed and track.
The system is adaptable to a user's own definition of increased assurance whether this is secondary oil content monitoring or additional diverter valves for added assurance.
At the end of the discharge process, a batch record is printed containing all aspects of the discharge and any errors or event triggers that occurred during this process. The printout can be attached to the manual Oil Record Book for presentation to PSC surveyors. In addition, the data is stored within the system and can be played back graphically on the in-built screen, sent for storage to the ship's Local Area Network (LAN), printed remotely or downloaded to a standard Personal Computer.
Each start and stop of the oil discharge process creates a new unique file that cannot be tampered with. Vessels are currently fitted with a separator and monitor to the old MEPC 60(33) regulation, this increased assurance solution works to bring the recording capabilities of older devices up to and past that required within MEPC 107 (49) and at the same time providing fail-safes to ensure illegal discharges cannot take place. This can result in an expensive ship-wide upgrade to 107(49) being avoided.
Optionally, a variety of ship data can also be displayed and recorded in parallel which could include dirty ballast discharge, level gauging, or data from any other critical monitoring process. Please contact us with your additional requirements so we may tailor a system for your specific needs.
Mr. Marine is a global maritime service company. Our multi-brand expert team is committed to keeping vessels safe and compliant, anywhere in the world. With technical know-how, 24/7 responsiveness, and unparalleled spare part sourcing we are your global beacon.
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