Slops and sludges are hydrocarbon-rich shipping industry waste, produced in ship engine rooms through purifying fuels, bilge waters from mechanical systems, oily ballast water and tank cleaning waters from tankers. MARPOL Annex I, Regulation 12 defines slops as “the residual waste oil products generated during the normal operation of a ship, such as those resulting from the purification of fuel or lubricating oil for main or auxiliary machinery, separated waste oil from oil filtering equipment, waste oil collected in drip trays, and waste hydraulic and lubricating oils.” Millions of tonnes of maritime hydrocarbon residues are created every year, and it is estimated that they account for between 1% and 2% of maritime bunker volumes consumed annually. All of this waste needs to be disposed of in line with IMO and EU regulations, and Ecoslops presents a way to refine the waste into valuable fuel.
