Information for Boating Businesses

› Oil/fuel spills
› Resource efficiency
› Waste management
› Reduction
› Reuse
› Recycling
› Hazardous Waste
› Cleaning & maintenance
› Antifouling paints

 

Oil/fuel spills

Oil spill management

Oil spills are one of the most easily identifiable forms of pollution in the aquatic environment. Odour and iridescence (rainbow effect) are reliable clues for a spill. Small amounts of oil can contaminate large areas of water whilst larger spills on land can cause tonnes of contaminated soil. The containment of spilt oil can prevent financial, legislative and environmental implications.

Sites and watercraft with oil or fuel containment should be equipped with spill kits in the event of an incident. Spill kits should contain at minimum,  oil absorbent material, booms, stakes, pads and putty.

Under no circumstances should detergents be used to remove oil from the water. Evidence of such practices may result in additional financial,  environmental and legislative repercussions.

After initial identification and basic remediation of the spill, Maritime New Zealand should be contacted for further assistance on 0508 22 55 22.

Oil storage

The Ministry for the Environment is responsible for enforcing the regulations throughout New Zealand and may serve notice requiring inadequate facilities to be brought up to standard. Failure to comply with a notice is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution. Following the guidelines below will minimise the risk of your site causing pollution.

You can also refer to their website.

In summary, the Regulations state that:

• Oil storage tanks must be of sufficient strength and structural integrity so as to be unlikely to leak or burst under normal operating circumstances
• Oil tanks and drums must be stored in some kind of secondary containment,  usually a bund
• Also, all of the valves, filters, sight gauges and pipe work must be contained within the bund when not in use
• The bund must be big enough to contain 110% of the maximum volume of the container. For bunds serving multiple containers, the bund should be able to hold 110% of the largest tank, or 25% of the total volume, whichever is larger
• A single drum requires a drip tray able to contain 25% of its capacity, and mobile bowsers should be self-bunded, stored in a bund or have a drip tray
• The bund should be impermeable to water and oil, and must not contain any drainage valves
• If there is above ground pipe work, it must be properly supported and maintained
• Underground pipe work needs to be suitably protected from damage, with detection measures in case of leaks, and mechanical joints need to have accessible inspection points
• Care should be taken to position storage tanks away from any possible damage from traffic, and secure from vandals
• Tanks and bunds should be maintained and checked regularly
• All types of oil, with the exception of waste oil, are covered by these regulations, including petrol, diesel, vegetable, synthetic and mineral oil.  Waste oil storage is covered by the Waste Management Licensing Regulations.

It is important to note that in the case of flammable liquids, such as petrol, additional health and safety requirements may also apply.

Other Pointers

The majority of oil pollution in our rivers and oceans comes from every day sources like refuelling, engine emissions and oil leaks. You can help by taking a one simple step:

"The best way to clean oily bilge water is to use an oil absorbent sock."

Fuel absorbents are a great way to clean up oil and fuel spills. They don’t absorb water, and most both with the hydrocarbon, locking it in to prevent further drips or stains.

Absorbent ‘doughnuts’ can be used when fuelling up, both on the fuel pontoon and particularly when using a jerry can. They stop all the drips running down onto your deck as well as into the water!

Check whether your bilge water is clean before you pump out. If it has an oily film on it, take steps to clean it up, or use a pump-out station.

If you have a persistent problem, get an engineer out to find the source of the leak. Inserting an absorbent pad under your engine can help you locate the general area of the leak.

Leaks are made worse if there is a constant ingress of water into your boat,  for instance through a leaky stern gland. This is particularly true if you have an automatic bilge, as you could be constantly discharging low levels of hydro-carbons.

When you fuel up, leave room in the tank for fuel expansion. ‘Topping off’  can cause fuel to run out of the vents. Don’t wait until you see this to check whether your tank is full! Most chandleries sell simple whistles that you can insert in the vent, which will give you an audible warning that the tank is full

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Resource efficiency

All marine businesses have some form of office, administrative or reception facility where ‘paperwork’ is dealt with. The operation of this office facility with the use of associated equipment and stationery, as well as other sectors of the business, has environmental implications. However, it is often easiest to make a significant difference to practices here, with relatively little effort and cost and may result in cost savings. You should select the advice that is applicable and practical for your particular business. As with many environmental improvements, there is an emphasis on increasing efficiency and minimising the resources, which your company uses, and the wastes which it produces. Increasing efficiency makes economic as well as environmental sense and provides an opportunity for you to improve the competitiveness of your company.

Some general issues to be considered as part of an Environmental Management System are listed below:

Energy Efficiency

Implement a ‘switch off policy’ for equipment which is not in use e.g.  computers, printers, lights, photocopiers etc. – put up posters in key locations to remind staff

Water Efficiency

Check for leaks in toilet cisterns; put a couple of drops of food colouring into the cistern to see if the seal at the bottom of the tank leaks

Waste Management

Separate recyclable items before disposal.

Pollution Prevention

Use “green” energy suppliers for your electricity

Transport Policy

Promote travel by public transport and car sharing schemes

Product purchasing and consumption

Consider purchasing materials that have been manufactured to take account of environmental factors, for example, recycled paper and bio-degradable detergents as a commitment to your environmental policy and to demonstrate to suppliers and public. Ask your stationers and cleaning suppliers about their products and their company’s environmental credentials. Where possible, try to purchase from suppliers and manufacturers who have a formal environmental policy in order to encourage others to respond to consumer demand for more sustainable markets.

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Waste management

The management and disposal of waste products is perhaps one of the most significant environmental concerns for industrial enterprises. All marine companies produce some form of waste, for example; waste paper from offices,  waste gases, solvents and residues from the use of chemicals, or trade effluent from the manufacturing process. Directives from Europe such as the Landfill Directive are seeking to reduce the amount of waste disposed of to landfill and encourage waste producers to reduce their waste, reuse or recover so waste is moved up the hierarchy.

Waste hierarchy:

Waste minimisation (preferred option) v Reuse v Materials recycling v Recovery (energy from waste) v Disposal by landfill or incineration (least desirable option)

The quantities and types of waste produced will be dependent on the activity and operations of a particular company. Remember that good waste management practices are a key part of overall good management within your company and can often save you money.

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Reduction

Waste reduction and minimisation at source is high up in the waste hierarchy as it avoids waste in the first instance. Reduction in the amount of waste can be achieved through:

• Use of alternative raw materials
• Modifications to processes and plant
• Improved working procedures and housekeeping measures

Redesign of products

Waste Minimisation is about reducing the environmental impacts of waste by reducing the volumes that need to be treated or disposed of. The reduction of waste at source is Waste Minimisation in its purest form and can offer opportunities to save money.

Benefits of waste minimisation

The benefits of waste minimisation are clear and simple:

• Cost savings - Production costs can be reduced through improved resource efficiency. These savings add directly to the bottom line and can account for an extra % of profit
• Compliance - A proactive approach ensures that the company minimises the possibility of litigation and can anticipate requirements of new legislation
• Risk reduction - Control and reduction of risks and liabilities not only reduce the likelihood of fines and bad publicity but can also boost investor confidence
• Market positioning - Eco-friendly products can give supply chain confidence and improve customer relations

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Reuse

Reuse provides similar cost savings to waste reduction as fewer materials are being used, and in particular less waste is being produced. Waste going to landfill is also temporarily reduced. Reusing waste comes in two forms:

• Conventional reuse: which is the repetitive use of the same item,
• Or new life reuse, which involves using an item for a different use to which it was originally intended.

New life reuse is uncommon as it is difficult to find new uses for old items but it does offer a valuable opportunity for members to manage their waste in an innovative manner. A classic example of conventional re-use is glass milk bottles, which are used, then collected and washed many times (on average 20 times), thus saving money on raw material.

Closed loop schemes can be an effective means of reusing waste. These mainly work where goods are regularly delivered from a central facility to various outlets. Goods are delivered in re-useable containers such as pallets or plastic crates. The containers are then unloaded and returned with the delivery van back to the store either on the same or on another trip. This closed loop scheme saves materials and money, as fewer containers are required due to re-use. It also entails next to no extra cost in vehicle expenses.

When attempting reuse in the work place attention can be paid to the following areas:

• Packaging.
• Transport packaging.
• Recovery of components.
• Post-consumer reuse (recovering used items for future use e.g. glass bottles).
• Reuse of any waste item for a new purpose.
• Product design (Design a reusable product e.g. refillable products).

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Recycling

Recycling is one of the key ways to reduce the amount of waste disposed at landfill. To respond to the ever growing need for more recycling and less landfill use it is essential that all parts of society contribute. As a waste generating business and a facility for the public the marine industry must be proactive and the need for recycling and waste handling element in yacht marinas in particular is not merely due to practicality but also because of regulatory requirements and public perceptions. From a business perspective, waste is going to become more expensive to dispose so introducing such schemes will make economic sense in the long term.

The table below lists the types of waste that can be recycled.

Waste types that should be recycled

Type	Note
Batteries	Need to be put in a covered area where no acid can escape
Bottles (glass)	Do not place bottle storage in an area that drains to surface water drains.  Consult the relevant authority regarding drainage to foul sewer
Plastics	Some plastics are more difficult than others to recycle. Check with the waste management company what can and can’t be recycled
Cardboard & Paper	Should be stored under cover and boxes flattened to reduce volume
Ferrous & Metal	Store different types of metal separately as values between metals can vary
Oil	Tanks should be bunded and covered to prevent water ingress
Oil Filters	Should be with waste oil in bund
Food	Non meat food waste can be composted

• Companies should endeavour to install waste facilities that encourage recycling and appropriate disposal
• Notices should outline the benefits of recycling as well as give directions to the facilities which should be easy to access as recycling will be more effective if it is easy to do
• Containers for the different types of materials should be clearly labelled throughout the site
• Waste recycling facilities should be secured at night and emptied frequently by an authorised waste contractor to prevent over spilling and to ensure that there is always capacity for people to use them

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Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste is essentially waste that contains hazardous properties that may render it harmful to human health or the environment. Any waste could be harmful if it is managed badly or disposed of illegally. However, these risks are very small when hazardous waste is managed properly. The list below shows the type of waste produced by marine industries which is classed as hazardous.

Waste oils	Solvents e.g. acetone, anti-freeze
Acids	Oil filters, oily rags and oily containers
Flares	Residues of paints, resins, solvents. hardened products eg.  fiberglass
Batteries and battery Acid	Fluorescent tubes
Alkalines	Paints and varnishes including used paint pots, brushes and rollers
Zinc anodes	Aerosols
Tar	Antifouling and paint residues

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Cleaning & maintenance

Boat cleaning

On-water boat cleaning of topsides and decks is common and detergents are often used. It should be remembered that it is illegal to allow polluting matter to enter the water. Soaps, detergents and bleaches should be used with caution and sparingly ensuring that only small residues enter the water. This is also applicable to the cleaning agents used in galleys and sea-toilets, which will drain or flush into the water. There are an increasing number of ‘environmentally-friendly’ cleaning products on the market and these should be used wherever available.

Boat maintenance

The concern with boat wash down occurs when antifouling scrapings are allowed to enter the water in large concentrations.

Removal of vegetation and other organisms which may be attached to the hulls of boats is common practice in boatyards and marinas as well as clubs and at publicly available facilities. Scrubbing piles are the most commonly used taking advantage of sufficient tidal ranges, whilst hauling the boat out of the water may be preferred by some when additional maintenance is required. More recently systems have been developed to scrub hulls whilst the boat remains in the water.  In all of these systems care must be taken to avoid allowing polluting matter to enter the waters.

If the vessel is removed from the water similar measures must be taken to avoid any polluting matter entering the water or surface drains. In order to tackle fully the issues associated with using water to remove antifouling ashore, you will need a means of collecting and storing the effluent prior to its disposal or treatment. This is likely to require a designated wash down area with an impermeable surface and a system of channels or bunds to direct the effluent to a central drain. Once collected, the effluent can be filtered in order to separate the antifouling particles from the wash down water. This will allow the water to be recycled & used again. By minimising the quantity of water used during wash down the waste requiring disposal will also be minimised.

The contaminated effluent (which will contain dissolved antifouling as well as solid pollutants such as paint particles) should be collected and disposed of appropriately. There are three options:

1. Disposal to the foul sewer may be possible with the prior arrangement of the local sewage provider. You should contact your local sewage provider for more information and to discuss whether this would be an acceptable option to both the sewage provider and yourself.
2. An alternative option is to have the sealed storage tank emptied and the effluent removed and disposed of at a waste site which is suitably licensed to accept this type of waste (this will usually require the use of a suitably licensed waste contractor).
3. The third option is to carry out on site treatment and possible re-circulation. This may include a treatment facility incorporating settlement and filtration, to remove particulate matter and recycle ‘clean’ water. Any discharge from such a facility would require consent. You should contact your local environmental agency for further information about whether such a discharge would be deemed acceptable. In considering whether a consent would be appropriate, the agency will need to be satisfied that the treatment facilities proposed will result in an overall reduction in the polluting load currently discharged and will be effective in enabling the quality of the effluent to achieve the quality criteria of the consent. It will also depend on the quality,  nature and location of the receiving water.

It is likely that all systems will generate a degree of settled particulate matter within the storage sump, which will need to be classified as hazardous or non-hazardous and disposed of at an appropriately licensed waste disposal facility. We recommend where companies are unsure of whether the waste is hazardous or not, independent analysis should be undertaken.

Physical removal of coatings

Physical removal includes scraping and blasting, both techniques that will generate material and residues. It is recommended that all scraping and blasting is carried out in a dry dock or in a wash-down area with provision for the retention and collection of waste water and debris. Various techniques are available:

• Vacuum systems suck debris directly into a bag that will save time on clearing up.
• Plastic Blast Media (PBM) allows re-use of abrasives, which will reduce the volume of waste disposal and could save you money.
• Shot and slurry blasting materials are toxic and must be disposed of by a suitably licensed waste contractor as hazardous waste - do not swill used blast material into the marina basin or into the drainage network.
• Consider the feasibility of using hand scraping as an alternative. In the future, the higher labour costs of scraping by hand may be offset by savings in waste management costs.

These residues may contain toxic material such as flakes of antifouling paint and particles of the blast material and should be collected and stored in a sealed tank prior to being removed and disposed of at a waste site which is suitably licensed to accept this type of waste. See Chapter 7 in the Environmental Code of Practice on Waste Management for details of how to determine whether the waste is hazardous or non-hazardous and the implications of this.

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Antifouling paints

Since the banning of TBT in 2003, copper biocides are now the most commonly used alternative for antifouling paints. However, it is now thought that certain species are copper sensitive with even low levels of copper compounds being toxic to them and the use of copper based antifouling has even been banned in some European countries. However, it is recognised that the potential for impact is greatest where concentrated copper scrapings are allowed to enter the water,  rather than the slow leaching process of the antifouling from the boat hulls.

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