Disposal of used cooking oil
When an oil doesn't fall under annex I
An examiner may ask you about disposal of waste cooking oil. This is a possible tripping point; is it more like food waste (which can in many circumstances be disposed of at sea) or more like fuel oil or oil cargo waste (which is usually kept in a waste oil tank and pumped ashore)?
Relevant documents: PPR 2/21, MARPOL Annex V
Under MARPOL Annex V, cooking oil is included with other garbage.
Under MARPOL Annex V, garbage includes all kinds of food, domestic and operational waste, all plastics, cargo residues, incinerator ashes, cooking oil, fishing gear, and animal carcasses generated during the normal operation of the ship and liable to be disposed of continuously or periodically.
IMO Sub-committee on Pollution Prevention and Response 2nd session Agenda item 21:
the disposal of used cooking oil should comply with the requirements in MARPOL Annex V.
the disposal of cooking oil can be performed only by discharge to a reception facility or by incineration
Cooking oil is category D in the garbage record book and discharge of cooking oil is prohibited in all sea areas.
Can it be stored in a waste oil tank?
If you have a dedicated waste oil tank for used cooking oil then yes, but this is very unlikely. It certainly shouldn’t be added to the waste oil tank containing waste from cargo or engine spaces. Generally waste cooking oil is stored, and landed to shore, in the same drum it (or other cooking oil) was delivered in.
MCAQs
Can you dispose of cooking oil mixed in with waste oil?
Can you dispose of cooking oil over the side?
Is it acceptable to incinerate cooking oil onboard the vessel?
Where should landing or incineration of cooking oil be recorded; in the garbage record book or the oil record book?
What legislation covers disposal of waste cooking oil? (and explain why it isn’t it the IMDG code)