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‘Clean Your Sheen’ comes to Tinian
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Posted on Jan 28 2005
TINIAN—Personnel from the Coastal Resource Management Office and Division of Environmental Quality were recently on Tinian to meet with boaters and talk to them about clean boating habits and ways to prevent oil discharges into Tinian’s coastal waters.
CRM-Geographic Information System manager Ken Cochran, along with environmental specialist Sheena Sablan, and CRM-GIS assistant Julie Manibusan also gave away promotional items for the event such as T-shirts, hats and informational handouts that included bilge socks for the boat owners.
The Tinian activity was part of the program called the “Bilge Sock Project,” which was started on Saipan in May 2003. The theme for the campaign is “Clean Your Sheen, Put A Sock In It,” the sheen being the film of oil that floats on the water’s surface, usually from boats that don’t have bilge socks. The campaign itself is called the “Boaters Awareness Campaign,” which is also sponsored by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, with funding for the project coming from a Coral Reef Initiative Grant from the federal government.
A bilge sock contains an absorbent material that will remove petroleum products from bilge water. How it works is you place the bilge sock into your bilge. You attach the loop on the sock to secure the sock in order to avoid interference with the bilge pump. You must check on the sock at least monthly and replace it when oil or an oily sheen can be seen in the bilge, indicating that the sock has absorbed oil to capacity. You must dispose of the used socks properly by allowing it to dry then placing it in a plastic bag and disposing of it properly.
It is estimated that a bilge sock can last from three to four months, depending on the frequency of the use of the boat.
Project organizers are hoping that once boaters are made aware of the item, they will begin to purchase it on their own when they see the benefits of utilizing the bilge sock.
Any individuals with boats who were not able to make it to the Tinian event can check out the bilge socks that were left behind for boaters at the Tinian-CRM office. (Joey C. Charfauros)
