Oil and Fuel Pollution

MCA guidance says oil should be retained aboard for disposal to shore reception facilities. A pleasure vessel below 400GT is not required to install approved oily-water separating equipment, so the practical small-yacht default is not to pump oily bilge water overboard. Find and stop the leak, recover free oil with suitable absorbent material or equipment, and follow the marina or waste facility's disposal route.

Prevention includes a clean bilge that makes new contamination visible, an inspected drip tray beneath the engine, sound hoses and joints, an accessible spill kit and a crew member who knows how to stop the transfer. Before refuelling, confirm the correct filler and expected quantity, control ignition sources, keep vulnerable openings protected and attend the nozzle. Slow the delivery before the expected full level; fuel appearing at a vent is evidence of overfill, not a normal stopping method.

If fuel escapes, stop the transfer and close the source if that can be done safely. Raise the alarm, protect drains and water, use the facility's absorbent pads or booms, and contact the fuel berth or harbour authority as required. Detergent, hosing, propeller wash or dilution spreads or hides the pollutant instead of recovering it.