Waste oil collection for ports and vessels
Marine waste oil is a big part of what BL Oils does. We collect oily waste from ships, workboats, fishing boats and other vessels, and from port, terminal and ship repair sites around the Humber. That includes larger jobs. Every collection comes with the correct paperwork.
We’re a Doncaster-based, Environment Agency upper-tier waste carrier and dealer (registration CBDU69834). We’re an approved waste contractor at the ports of Hull, Goole, Immingham and Killingholme. Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you can call us whenever a vessel’s agent needs to arrange a collection. For urgent removals, see emergency waste oil collection.
MARPOL Annex I wastes, in plain English
MARPOL is the international convention that stops ships polluting the sea. Annex I deals with oil. In short, oily waste made on board can’t be pumped over the side. It has to be kept on board and landed ashore at a port, then handed to a licensed collector. These are the Annex I wastes we collect:
- Sludge. The thick, dirty residue left after fuel oil and lube oil are cleaned on board by separators and purifiers. It builds up in a sludge tank and needs emptying regularly.
- Bilge water and bilge oil. Water mixed with oil that collects in the lowest part of the engine room. Leaks, drips and condensation all end up there.
- Oily water. Water that has picked up oil, for example from tank washings, drip trays or engine room cleaning.
- Slops. Mixtures of oil and water collected in a slop tank, often from washing tanks or from oily water separators.
- Waste lube and engine oil. Used lubricating, engine, gearbox, hydraulic and compressor oil drained during maintenance and oil changes.
We also collect used oil filters from engine rooms and workshops.
More detail: ship sludge and slops collection and bilge and oily water collection.
We don’t collect cooking oil, galley waste or other non-oil ship waste such as sewage, garbage or chemicals. Your ship’s agent or the port can arrange those separately.
Who we collect from
- Ship owners, operators and masters, on cargo ships, tankers, ferries, tugs and workboats calling at the Humber ports
- Ship’s agents arranging waste landing for a vessel’s call
- Port and terminal operators who need waste oil and oily water collected from quaysides, tanks and dockside interceptors
- Ship repair yards, dry docks and marine engineers, where oil is drained during refits and repairs
- Fishing boats and smaller commercial vessels
- Offshore wind service vessels, landing used oil from turbine maintenance (see wind turbine oil disposal)
How a marine collection works
Most marine collections are booked through the ship’s agent. Here’s what normally happens.
Tell us about the call
The ship’s agent, operator or port contacts us with the vessel name, port and berth, the expected time alongside, and the waste types and rough volumes.
We plan it with you
We give you a free, no-obligation quote and agree the timing, quayside access and any port security or permit requirements.
Collected on the quayside
We pump the waste from the vessel straight into our road tanker, parked on the quay alongside.
Paperwork handed over
You get a hazardous waste consignment note for every collection, showing what was collected and how much, ready for your records.
Road tanker at the quayside
Our road tanker parks on the quay alongside the vessel. A hose runs from the ship’s discharge connection to the tanker, and the sludge, bilge water or slops are pumped across. Before we start, we agree the connection, the pumping arrangements and the stop signal with the crew.
The vessel needs to be alongside a quay our tanker can drive onto, with room to park near the ship’s discharge connection. Tell us the berth and any access limits when you book. See quayside tanker collection for how it works on the day.
What we need to know
- Vessel name, port, dock and berth
- Expected time alongside, and how long the vessel is in port
- Waste types (sludge, bilge water, slops, used oil, filters) and rough volumes
- The ship’s agent’s contact details, if an agent is handling it
- Any access, security or induction requirements on the quay
Paperwork and your records
Marine waste oil is hazardous waste on shore. Every collection comes with a hazardous waste consignment note showing the waste type, quantity, waste code and where it came from. The ship can use these details when filling in its Oil Record Book. As an upper-tier waste carrier and dealer, our registration, CBDU69834, can be checked on the Environment Agency’s public register. See compliance & licence and waste oil disposal.
Ports have their own waste reception arrangements and usually expect advance notice of the waste a ship will land. That notice normally goes through the ship’s agent. Tell us which port and berth, and we’ll work with the agent and the port to fit in with their arrangements.
| Waste | Typical EWC code |
|---|---|
| Bilge oils from shipping | 13 04 03* |
| Sludge from fuel and lube oil cleaning on board | 13 07 03* / 13 05 02* |
| Oily water and slops | 13 04 03* / 13 05 07* |
| Waste engine, gear and lubricating oils | 13 02 05* |
| Used oil filters | 16 01 07* |
These are typical codes only. The right code depends on what the waste is and where it came from, and we’ll confirm it with you before collection. An asterisk (*) means hazardous waste.
Ports we cover
We’re an approved waste contractor at four Humber ports. If you’re at another harbour, wharf or marina in our area, call us and ask.
Hull
The Port of Hull runs along the north bank of the Humber, with enclosed docks handling cargo ships, ferries, workboats and offshore wind vessels. We collect sludge, bilge water, slops and used oil from vessels in the docks, and from ship repair and marine engineering sites around the port.
We reach Hull from Doncaster along the M18, M62 and A63. See waste oil collection in Hull.
Goole
Goole is an inland port where the River Ouse meets the Aire & Calder Navigation. Coasters, short-sea cargo ships and inland waterway craft use its docks and wharves. It’s the closest port to our Doncaster base, just along the M18 and M62.
We collect oily waste from vessels at the docks and from the boatyards and businesses around them.
Immingham
Immingham, on the south bank of the Humber, is one of the busiest ports in the UK, with bulk, tanker, ro-ro and container traffic. Big vessels can mean bigger volumes of sludge and slops, so tell us the volumes early and we’ll plan around the vessel’s call.
We reach Immingham along the M18, M180 and A180. Nearby: Grimsby and Scunthorpe.
Killingholme
Killingholme sits next to Immingham on the Humber bank, with river terminals, ro-ro berths and heavy industry close by. We collect waste oil and oily water from vessels at the terminals, and from the industrial and energy sites along the riverside.
We reach Killingholme along the M180, A180 and A160. See also Lincolnshire.
Ashore at the port
Ports, terminals and dockside businesses produce waste oil too. We collect from quayside waste oil storage tanks, drums and IBCs, from plant and vehicle workshops on the port estate, and from the oil interceptors that drain quays, yards and wash bays. See interceptor waste, commercial & industrial waste oil collection and oil filter disposal. Using one licensed carrier for the vessel and the shore side keeps your waste management simple.
Between collections, keep oil storage tidy: lids on drums and IBCs, tanks bunded, and oily waste kept separate from other waste.
Businesses ashore at Immingham, such as hauliers, port service firms and workshops, can book road collections: see waste oil collection in Immingham.
Marine waste oil: FAQs
What is MARPOL Annex I waste?
MARPOL Annex I covers oil. It includes sludge from fuel and lube oil cleaning, bilge water and bilge oil, oily water, slops, and used engine and lubricating oil. It has to be landed ashore at a port and handed to a licensed collector.
Which ports do you cover?
We’re an approved waste contractor at the ports of Hull, Goole, Immingham and Killingholme. If you’re at another harbour, wharf or marina in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire or Lincolnshire, call 07785 921493 and ask.
Can the ship’s agent book the collection?
Yes. Most marine collections are booked by the ship’s agent. Send us the vessel name, port and berth, the expected time alongside, and the waste types and rough volumes.
How do you collect from the vessel?
Our road tanker parks on the quay alongside the vessel and the waste is pumped from the ship straight into the tanker. That’s how we collect from every vessel, so the vessel needs to be alongside a quay our tanker can drive onto.
What paperwork do we get?
A hazardous waste consignment note for every collection, showing the waste type, quantity and waste code. The ship can use these details for its Oil Record Book.
Can you collect out of hours?
Our phone is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 07785 921493 to talk about timing for your vessel. See emergency waste oil collection.
Do you collect sewage, garbage or chemicals from ships?
No. We collect oily waste only (MARPOL Annex I), plus used oil filters. Your agent or the port can arrange other ship waste separately.
How much does a marine collection cost?
Every vessel and job is different, so we give you a free, no-obligation quote. Tell us the port, the waste types and roughly how much there is.
BL Oils is based in Doncaster and collects across all of Yorkshire (North, South, West and East), plus Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire (areas we cover). Call or WhatsApp 07785 921493, email info@bloils.co.uk, or ask for a free quote.