Bilge pollution

Bilge pollution is a type of water pollution that occurs when the bilge water in a ship's hull is discharged into the ocean. In a research published in 2019, it was estimated that up to 3000 cases of bilge dumping happen in Europe every year. According to another estimate, approximately 52.8 million gallons of pollutants are discharged into the ocean annually.

Treatment of bilge water, in which all contaminants are removed, is the preferred method of dealing with bilge water pollution. Due to increased operational costs, companies mostly dump waste directly into the ocean without properly processing it. Due to the presence of carcinogenic chemicals, bilge water waste is considered a threat to marine life and human health.