PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from United States

Provisional Application for Patent No. 61/550,720, filed

October 24, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to containment and removal of waste generated by seagoing vessels, and more particularly to efficiently containing and removing oily waste using tank containers.

BACKGROUND

Seagoing vessels, including commercial cargo vessels generate different types of waste while at sea. Some of this waste is generated from the ship's engines or other equipment and is an oily waste or "slop". This type of waste may not be discharged at sea because it will contaminate the oceans and harm marine life. Seagoing vessels also generate chemical waste, which must also be carefully contained onboard and carefully discharged in port.

Thus, the oily waste or chemicals must be

1 PCT APPLICATION appropriately discarded or recycled at ports. This process typically begins by discharging the oily waste or chemicals directly to a barge or a truck, which is specifically designed and equipped to handle this type of waste. This process requires man power and consumes time in connecting a hose from the ship to the specially equipped truck or barge. Additional time is also consumed in pumping the waste from the ship to the truck or barge, and this operation may only be done while the ship is in port.

Oil rigs must also appropriately dispose of oily and other waste generated by the operation of the rig. Some oil rigs contain and transport waste oil, slops, and chemical waste to waste management facilities in tank containers using offshore supply boats.

SUMMARY

A streamlined method for discharging and removing oily waste using tank containers is presented. The method includes receiving oily waste from a waste oil tank by a tank container located in a cargo hold or on a cargo hatch of a ship. The tank container holding the oily waste is removed from the ship using conventional cargo loading and unloading equipment available at most ports, particularly those ports that include a container terminal with gantry cranes.

In certain embodiments, the tank container is an

2 PCT APPLICATION intermodal tank container that is loaded onto a truck or railcar to be transported to a disposal or recycling facility. A clean, empty tank container may be loaded onto the ship to receive and hold oily waste from the ship generated during its next voyage.

Technical advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure include employing the existing discharge pipeline of an oceangoing cargo vessel in a novel system and method of containing and removing oily waste using tank containers. The tank containers may be lifted and placed by existing gantry cranes available at many ports around the world.

An additional technical advantage includes the ability to collect and contain the oily waste in a removable tank container while the ship is at sea. This process may be markedly more efficient than requiring a pumping operation from the ship' s waste oil tank directly to a truck or barge that is specially equipped to hold and transport oily waste.

Yet another technical advantage includes increasing a ship' s waste collection and containment capacity by having more than one tank container that may receive oily waste or chemical waste onboard a ship according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is an environmental view of a ship

3 PCT APPLICATION employing a waste containment and removal system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration showing a discharge system for communicating oily waste generated by a ship according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 illustrates a detailed view of the connection between a discharge manifold and a tank container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 4 illustrates an environmental view of the loading/offloading of an oily waste tank container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is made to Figure 1, which shows an oily waste or "slop" containment and removal system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 10 may also be employed to contain and remove chemical waste. The system 10 is on board a ship 12. The ship may be a seagoing cargo vessel that is eguipped to transport cargo including intermodal cargo containers 26 and intermodal tank containers 20 on its main deck 14. The cargo containers 26 and the tank containers 20 may be secured on a cargo hatch on the main deck 14 or in holds of the ship 12. The main deck 14 may also support the house 16, which may also be referred to as the ship's house or the ship's accommodation.

4 PCT APPLICATION On its voyage, the ship 12 generates waste. Ship waste may be waste oil, slops, chemical waste, and other substances that are discarded onboard the ship. Oily waste refers to a substance that includes petroleum that must be properly disposed of or recycled to avoid adverse environmental effects, contamination, or creation of a fire hazard. Oily waste may be a by-product of one or more diesel engines used for propulsion of the ship 12 or auxiliary functions. This oily waste may include purifier sludge, discharge from an oily water separator, and other ship-board sources that yield oil which cannot be reused for propulsion. On most oceangoing vessels, the oily waste is pumped from the various shipboard sources and collected in a waste oil tank or slop tank that is usually located below the main deck 14 in the engine room (see Figure 2) . Similarly, chemical waste may be received and contained in a chemical waste tank. It may then be pumped into a tank container and removed according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

On the main deck 14, on both the starboard and the port sides of the ship 12 proximate the ship' s accommodation 16, one or more discharge manifolds 18 are located. Oily waste that has collected in the ship's waste oil tank may be accessed through either one or both of the discharge manifolds 18.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure,

5 PCT APPLICATION a transfer hose 22 may be coupled at one end to a discharge manifold 18, and the other end may be coupled to a tank container 20. This coupling allows oily waste from the waste oil tank to be transferred to the tank container 20 where the tank container and the oily waste may be efficiently removed from the ship and be properly and safely disposed or recycled.

The ship 12 may also be equipped with a spill containment barrier 24. The spill containment barrier 24 may prevent a leak or inadvertent decoupling of the transfer hose 22 from contaminating a larger area of the ship 12 or from running overboard. The containment barrier may range in size with some containment barriers having the capacity to hold approximately one ton of spilled waste. In some embodiments, a similar containment barrier may be used to catch oily waste that may drip or spill where the transfer hose 22 connects to the tank container 20.

The tank container 20 for collecting oily waste may be located in the ship's cargo holds or on the main deck 14 near the port and/or starboard discharge manifolds 18. On a typical cargo ship, there may be one or two rows of cargo bays forward of the ship's house 16, and there may be one or two bays of the ship's cargo hatch aft of the ship's house 16. According to certain embodiments, a tank container 20 may be located in these areas so the transfer hose 22 may easily reach from the discharge manifold 18 to the tank container 20

6 PCT APPLICATION without interfering with other onboard equipment, storage, or other operations of the ship 12. The tank container 20 may be a standard twenty foot or forty foot tank container that is common in the shipping industry.

During the voyage, the ship' s oily waste may be pumped from the waste oil tank via the discharge manifold 18, through the transfer hose 22, and may collect in the tank container 20. Once collected in the tank container 20, the entire tank container 20 holding the oily waste to be discarded may be removed according to the removal procedures of the other cargo containers 26 and tank containers containing fluid cargo. Once removed, a clean and empty tank container may be loaded on the ship 12 as a replacement oily waste tank container and may be coupled to the transfer hose 22 such that the oily waste generated on the next voyage can be contained and removed from the ship at a subsequent port.

According to an alternate embodiment, the tank container 20 may include microbes that are known to consume oily and chemical wastes . The microbes may be contained in packets and secured to a portion of the tank container, such as the top. The microbes may be released into the oily or chemical waste and allowed to consume the oil and chemical contaminants and other organic wastes. Upon consumption, the waste may be tested for contaminants and upon determination of its safety; it may be dumped overboard or removed in port.

7 PCT APPLICATION This procedure may be especially effective when employed with tanker vessels that do not typically dock in ports with equipment that may be used to remove the tank container 20.

Referring to Figure 2, a discharge pipeline 34 of the oily waste containment and removal system 10 is schematically illustrated. The oily waste containment system

10 uses the conventional discharge pumps, valves, and waste

011 tank, which is standard equipment on most oceangoing and commercial cargo vessels.

According to the present disclosure, oily waste is received by the discharge pipeline 34 from the various sources 33 onboard the ship 12. As previously stated, the sources of the waste oil may be the ship's diesel engines, oily water separator, and other onboard equipment. The oily waste initially collects and may be contained in a waste oil tank 36. The waste oil tank 36 is located in the lower engine room. Because the waste oil tank 36 is located below the main deck, the oily waste is pumped from the waste oil tank 36 to the discharge manifold 18 on the main deck 14 in order to remove it from the ship 12.

The waste oil tank 36 may be coupled to a manual or automatic tank suction valve 38 which may be used to isolate the waste oil tank 36 from the other components in the discharge pipeline 34. After passing through the tank suction valve 38, the oily waste may be piped into one or more

8 PCT APPLICATION positive displacement pumps 44. Due to the viscosity of the oily waste, positive displacement pumps may be particularly effective in moving oily waste through the discharge pipeline 34 of the oily waste containment and removal system 10. For example, a single or double screw pump may reliably generate sufficient pressure to move the oily waste through the discharge pipeline 34 to the tank container 20.

According to certain embodiments, the positive displacement pumps 44 may be piped in parallel, such that if one pump 44 malfunctions, the other may still be operational. Also, if more pressure is needed than a single pump is operable to produce, the pumps 44 may be operated at the same time to generate up to double the pressure.

A pair of pump inlet valves 40 may control the oily waste inlet to the respective positive displacement pumps 44. In addition, a pair of pump discharge valves 42 may control the discharge of the oily waste from the positive displacement pumps 44. These valves may be used to isolate a single positive displacement pump 44 for maintenance or replacement while the other pump remains operational.

The positive discharge pumps 44 may pump the oily waste through the discharge pipeline 34 where discharge valves 46, which may be located in the pipeline proximate each of the discharge manifolds 18. Only one of the discharge manifolds is illustrated for clarity, but one skilled in the art will

9 PCT APPLICATION understand that a common discharge pipeline 34 pumps oily waste to both discharge manifolds 18. The inlet to the discharge manifolds 18 may be controlled by the discharge valve 46. The discharge manifold 18 may have a flange connection that can be coupled to the transfer hose 22 on the main deck 14. As previously stated, the transfer hose 22 fluidly couples the discharge manifold 18 to the tank container 20.

Thus, through the discharge pipeline 34, an embodiment of the present disclosure employs the ship's conventional waste disposal system to pump oily waste such that it may collect and be contained in a tank container 20 on the ship's main deck 14. From the main deck, the tank container may be removed with conventional equipment adapted to handle the ship's general cargo. This system and method may be a significant improvement over fluidly connecting a specialty tanker truck or barge to the discharge manifolds and pumping out the oily waste directly from the waste oil tank.

Referring now to Figure 3, which illustrates a detailed view of the connection between one of the discharge manifolds 18 and the tank container 20 that is shown in Figure 1. Fixed to the discharge manifold 18 is a flange connection 32. The flange connection 32 may be a flange connection that is standard in the shipping industry. The flange connection 32 may have a flange face, which defines a plurality of

10 PCT APPLICATION circumferentially spaced bolt holes 52. The flange face may also define a through hole through which the oily waste may pass from the discharge pipeline 34.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the discharge hose 22 is coupled to a discharge hose flange, which is configured to mate with the discharge manifold flange 32. Between the two flanges is disposed a gasket 48. The gasket 48 ensures there is a liquid-tight seal and prevents leakage between the ship's discharge pipeline 34 and the transfer hose 22. Each flange has eight holes that allow one or more bolts and nuts to secure the flanges together. Tightening the nuts on the bolts increases compression on the gasket, which may increase the tightness of the seal between the two flanges.

In certain embodiments, the transfer hose 22 may be equipped with a quick-connect/disconnect type connector. This quick connect/disconnect type connector may be adapted to fit a variety of mating connectors on a ship. The quick connector/disconnector may allow less effort to be exerted in connecting or disconnecting than the conventional bolt/nut connection of the two flanges .

In other embodiments, an intermediate pipe may be connected to the standard discharge flange connection 32. The opposite end of the intermediate pipe may have a connector that corresponds to the quick-connect type connector of the

11 PCT APPLICATION transfer hose 22. Although the intermediate pipe may be removed by removing the bolts, it may be more efficient for the intermediate pipe to remain fixed to the flange 32 and rely on quick connection and disconnection using the quick- connect/disconnect hose connector.

The transfer hose 22 is coupled on one end to the flange 32 of the discharge manifold 18 and the other end is coupled to a tank flange connection 58 of the tank container 20 to allow the oily waste to be pumped from the waste oil tank 36 through the discharge pipeline 34 and into the tank container 20. The transfer hose may also be coupled to the tank container 20 at an alternate inlet 59, which may be located at either end of the tank container 20. Coupling in this manner may allow a bottom tank container 20 of two or more stacked tank containers 20 to receive oily waste. Stacking of tank containers and other cargo containers is standard practice onboard cargo ships. In certain embodiments, the tank flange connection may be a similar standard flange connection as that of the manifold flange connection 32. In other embodiments, the connection may be a quick-connect/disconnect or similar type connector.

The tank container 20 fits and is secured to the cargo hatches or container holds of the ship, as it would if it was general cargo. The tank container 20 includes a tank 54 generally enclosed by a framework 56. The framework 56 is

12 PCT APPLICATION a standard feature on tank containers to allow them to fit into the container holds or be stacked on the cargo hatches on the main deck 14 of the ship 12, similar to the general cargo containers. The framework 56 also allows the tank container to be lifted by a crane and secured to an over-the-land vehicle, such as a truck or train for further transport, thus making the tank container intermodal .

While the tank 54 of the tank container 20 is being filled with the oily waste, a tank vent 60 may be opened to prevent pressure accumulation and a resulting dangerous over pressurization condition. Similarly, the tank 54 may be eguipped with a relief valve 62. In the event the pressure in the tank 54 reaches a maximum level, the relief valve may open to equalize and relieve the pressure in the tank 54. In certain embodiments, one tank container may be filled to a predetermined maximum level with oily waste.

An advantage of the oily waste containment and removal system 10 according to the teaching of the present disclosure is that the transfer hose 22 may be decoupled from the full tank container and re-coupled to a second empty or less full tank container 20. In this manner, more oily waste can accumulate and be safely contained on the ship 12 than with conventional systems that are limited by the capacity of the waste oil tank 36 below the main deck. Thus, oily waste may be allowed to accumulate through several dockings at

13 PCT APPLICATION ports, and then be discharged according to the teaching of the present disclosure when the ship reaches a port where appropriate disposal and/or recycling equipment is available.

The framework 56 also includes a feature 63 adapted to be secured by conventional twist-lock mechanisms to allow the tank container 20 to be secured to the cargo hatches of the ship 12. The framework 56 also includes crane brackets 64, which may be cast into the four corners of the framework 56. The crane brackets 64 are adapted to be secured to a crane, which allows loading and unloading of the tank container 20 with standard port equipment, such as a gantry crane 66, as illustrated in Figure 4. The crane brackets 64 also facilitate stacking of the tank containers 20.

Referring to Figure 4, the unloading/loading operation of a tank container 20 for collecting oily waste generated by equipment on a cargo ship according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The gantry crane 66 may be standard cargo container loading and unloading equipment found on most docks, such as dock 76. The gantry crane 66 is common equipment at ports that include a container terminal. An arm 68 of the gantry crane 66 directs the motion of a spreader 70. The spreader 70 is configured to attach to the crane brackets 64 of the tank container 20. The spreader 70 allows the tank container 20 to be safely and securely lifted and placed by the gantry crane 66.

14 PCT APPLICATION The gantry crane 66 can lift the tank container 20 containing the ship's oily waste from the deck of the ship and move it to an awaiting vehicle, such as a truck 74. At some ports, the gantry crane 66 may place the tank container 20 on a railroad car of a train to be transported to an oily waste processing facility where the oily waste may be properly and safely disposed or recycled.

After removing the tank container 20 containing the oily waste, the same gantry crane 66 may load a clean and empty tank container on the main deck. This tank container may be fluidly coupled to the discharge manifold where it may receive oily waste generated from the ship's engines and equipment on its next voyage, and may be unloaded and removed according to the teachings of the present disclosure at its next port.

15 PCT APPLICATION