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Urgent need for oily water separator compliance training
H2O LLC’s Matthew Adams urges operator training to normalise oily water separator use across fleets ahead of Riviera’s Maritime Environmental Protection webinars
H2O LLC marine sales representative Matthew Adams said crews often avoid oily water separators because they are unsure how to use them.
“Oily water separators are designed to work and are designed to protect the environment. Many people do not use them out of fear, but with proper training and understanding of their equipment, operators can successfully implement them into their daily operational procedures.”
Mr Adams was speaking ahead of Riviera’s webinar Oily waste: challenges, issues and remedies, to be held 29 October, 09:00 GMT, as part of the Maritime Environmental Protection Webinar Week. He set out why routine use, clear procedures and basic confidence are as important as the hardware itself.
Recovered Energy developed the BOSS oily water separator in 2004.
Mr Adams began his career in 2007 in production, “where I built the separator from the ground up,” before moving into global installation inspections, service support and crew training.
In 2021, H2O LLC acquired manufacturing rights to the BOSS oily water separator and Mr Adams became North American and European marine sales manager.
Mr Adams links reliable operation to basic competence and repeatable processes. He describes developing training programmes and materials to ensure “proper and efficient operation,” and working with engineering teams to make sure equipment is “operated reliably and met applicable regulatory standards.”
Today, he continues to contribute to design improvements, regulatory compliance and service support alongside sales leadership.
He highlights workforce continuity as a practical constraint. “We have an ageing workforce, and it is hard to find personnel who want to make this industry a long-term plan,” he said.
High turnover makes it “difficult for companies to make sure operators of equipment are well trained and understand how to maintain equipment,” which can “lead to mistakes and errors due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of equipment and environmental regulations.”
Mr Adams expects data-led diagnostics to improve service efficiency and foster incremental innovation drawn from users’ day-to-day experience.
Analysing operational feedback can make technicians “more efficient and effective in providing solutions,” while close engagement with operators is often where workable ideas emerge because “they experience the problems on a first-hand basis and often have the best and most creative solutions.”
The message for Oily waste: challenges, issues and remedies webinar delegates is straightforward: oily water separators should be part of normal shipboard routines, not a compliance risk to be avoided.
With structured training and clear instructions, said Mr Adams, crews can build confidence and achieve reliable outcomes. “Oily water separators are designed to work,” he said, and the task is to ensure they are used as intended.
Riviera’s next Marine Environmental Protection Webinar Week will be held 28-30 October. Use this link for more information and to register for these webinars.
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