OIL DISCHARGED IN PORT

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28552, 3 April 1958, Page 3

OIL DISCHARGED IN PORT

Use Of Barges Discussed The removal of oil from ships’ bilges by barges was a national problem, the harbourmaster (Captain A. R. Champion) said at yesterday’s meeting of the Lytelton Harbour Board. Referring to a recent prosecution of a ship’s master for discharging oil into the harbour, Mr F. W. Freeman .asked why the board could not provide barges to take the oil away. Some of the oil could be saved. It could not be done, said Mr W. B. Laing. The board had no control over junior engineers who released the wrong valves. Other ports in the world had barges and reclaimed lhe oil or placed it where it could not do damage, said Captain Champion. When ships were on the coast, the bilges became filled with oil. The engineers thought that they were pumping water into the harbour, said Mr J. A. Cashin (engineer-in-chief). Captain Champion said some of the oil could be reclaimed for domestic burners.

The problem had been discussed on a national basis by the Harbours’ Association, said the sec-retary-manager (Mr A. L. Burk). If the barges went to sea with the oil, the international laws were broken. It was a question of economics. The question of pollution about the coast was one for the Marine Department. The four main ports were afraid to take the lead.