Pumping Out Bilge Waste
Like all commercial vessels, tour boat operators are required to properly dispose of holding tank (bilge) waste. There are many methods of doing so ranging from a fixed pump out station, using a pump out vessel, a third party service or having your own pumps to do the job.
We’re profiling the case of one New York City based tour boat operator who uses the Mud Sucker 2FA-EC diaphragm pump to manage their pump out operations. First, some background. New York’s five boroughs are home to over a dozen ferry operators, water tours, water taxis – both public and private. Millions of visitors and residents use any one of these services every year. Managing the kind of waste associated with so much visitor traffic requires some creativity and a pump out that can do the job without hassles over the long haul. Keeping the harbors clean is a mission backed by most New Yorker’s and the Mayor’s office.
Many operators use the Mud Sucker as a quick way to empty both waste oil (from their kitchens) and their vessels’ waste holding tanks with fluid transfer capabilities ranging from 20-160 GPM. The added advantage with the Mud Sucker is that it can transfer waste oil including waste trap grease and used vegetable oil. Since many boat operators have a kitchen for entertaining passengers as well as restrooms, it only makes sense to have a pump that can transfer both bilge waste and cooking oil.
In the case of one of our recent customers in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood, the end user have multiple tour boats docked within a short distance of each other. At the height of tourist season (April-September), these boats are coming in and out of the pier from sun up to sun down. The Mud Sucker 2FA-EC with a wheel kit (shown here) easily transfers the waste holding tank waste into an environmentally friendly tank for proper disposal. Dock staff can easily maneuver the pump and the hoses included along their dock to pump out the next vessel. Check out all of the great solutions for pumping out tour boats, water taxis, ferries and more at wastecorp.com