Q.What are the ways of disposal of cooking oil onboard? It was the talk of the town few years back. What was the final decision in mepc? Can we burn in incinerator by mixing with rags or put in sludge tank?

The issue was raised by Marshall Island which proposed that the cooking oil should be allowed to be transferred to sludge tank and disposed of as per MARPOL Annex 1 requirements.

Many countries opposed this proposal.

After careful discussion on this topic, MEPC decided that cooking oil should be treated as a domestic garbage and should be dealt with as per the provisions of Annex V.

So as such, cooking oil should either be disposed to a shore facility or incinerated with other garbage. But it cannot be mixed with the oil or in sludge tank.