THEME 2: SHIPBUILDING AND LEISURE BOAT-BUILDING 
THEME 5: COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Bilge tanks on all vessels collect water from various different sources and this water is often mixed with hydrocarbons which must be treated. Stringent MARPOL regulations govern such hydrocarbons: if bilge waters contain low levels of hydrocarbons – less than 15 ppm (parts per million), equivalent to below 15 grams per metric ton – they may be discharged at sea. Any higher and the water must be treated or stored. The regulations require the use of IMO (International Maritime Organisation) approved oil water separators fitted with a system for continuous monitoring of hydrocarbon content. Systems currently installed on ships, based on water turbidity or fluorescence levels, are often unreliable. The result is either the discharge at sea of water containing excessive hydrocarbon levels or the on-board storage of sizeable quantities which could have been discharged without harming the environment.
The HYCARE project is designed to perfect a new type of approved measuring equipment which will be more reliable and robust, as well as economically viable. Based on a combination of different innovative optical processes, the HYCARE sensor will be fitted into the outflow system of de-oilers installed on board large-scale vessels.

The target market for such a device is vast: there are 40 000 merchant ships of over 400 tons, including 5 000 in Europe, which are subject to the hydrocarbon limit of 15 ppm. The new hydrocarbon detector could also be fitted to underwater vehicles and marine pollution and water quality coastal monitoring stations. Along with the CONVENAV, NACRE and PAINTCLEAN projects, HYCARE is part of a drive to create sustainable maritime transport through innovation and is aimed at the global market which is emerging as a result of such developments.

HYCARE PROJECT PARTNERS:

Companies:

• MICRO MODULE, Brest, project director, optical measuring designed for biotechnology, environmental monitoring and industrial inspection, 
• Louis Dreyfus, Shipowners, Suresnes,
• HOCER, Brest, continuous water quality monitoring systems,
• IDHESA Bretagne Océane, (Public Interest Group) in Brest, analysis, consultancy and expertise relating to water and the environment.

Research centre:

•  IFREMER, Brest, In-situ Measuring and Electronics Labs

Contacts:

• marc.boeuf@pole-mer-bretagne.com ;
• marie-marguerite.bourbigot@pole-mer-bretagne.com