The oily water separator fails just before port with a one-month wait for spares: what do you do as Chief Engineer?

flowchart LR
  A["OWS out of order"] --> B["Stop bilge discharge; never bypass"]
  B --> C["Minimise generation; retain in holding and sludge tanks"]
  C --> D["Report: master, company, flag, class, port State"]
  D --> E["Order spares; land residues to a reception facility"]
  E --> F["Manage tank capacity over the month"]
  F --> G["Record everything in the Oil Record Book"]

• Rule: bilge water goes overboard only through regulation 14 oil-filtering equipment at 15 ppm or less, en route, with the alarm and automatic stop working (regulation 15); no OWS, no discharge.
• Stop and never bypass: no direct or emergency bilge suction overboard, no magic pipe; that is a MARPOL crime, however long the downtime.
• Minimise and retain: fix leaks, keep bilges dry; retain in the holding tank, transfer to sludge or other approved tanks (regulation 12), sound and monitor.
• Report: master, company and DPA (ISM non-conformity, §9), flag and class, and the port State, since inoperative pollution-prevention equipment is reportable and detainable; be transparent.
• Spares, landing, capacity: order the spare by air, arrange a technician; land oily water and sludge to a reception facility with receipts; match capacity to generation and the voyage, schedule landings at ports of call; treat the OWS as critical equipment (§10.3).
• Record: the defect, transfers and every landing in the Oil Record Book (regulation 17); India: MS Act 2025 s.147, Indian port reception facilities.