JOWA Oily Water
Separator Parts
3SEP two-stage separator · Coalescer plates and filter inserts · Seaguard bilge alarm / oil content monitor
What a JOWA oily water separator line is actually asking for
The 3SEP is the separator itself, the coalescer plates and filter inserts are its consumables, and Seaguard is the monitor that reads what the separator discharges — three different kinds of line, quoted three different ways.
3SEP
The 3SEP is a two-stage bilge water separator: the first stage takes out free oil by gravity over coalescence plates, with an adjustable oil sensor controlling the automatic oil release to the sludge tank, and the second stage removes emulsified oil in two filter tanks. JOWA lists five sizes under the one designation, so state the full size designation from the unit plate, because the filter inserts and plate pack follow it rather than the family name.
Coalescer plates and filter inserts
On a two-stage plant the consumables are the coalescing plate pack of the first stage and the inserts of the two second-stage filter tanks. List them as separate lines, alongside the monitor parts and the oil-release and overboard valves, and note whether the plant is the 15 ppm build approved to MEPC.107(49) or the 5 ppm build approved under DNV CP-0208.
Seaguard
Seaguard is JOWA's bilge alarm and oil content monitor, sold both as part of a 3SEP installation and as a standalone retrofit. The measuring cell, sample line, seals and the alarm or display unit are the parts that wear; state whether the monitor is factory-fitted or retrofitted, since the mounting kit differs between them.
One designation, several sizes — and a monitor that outlives them
The 3SEP name alone does not carry enough to open a parts line, and Seaguard is fitted to more plants than the 3SEP name suggests.
The 3SEP works on differential specific gravity, coalescence plates and filtration across two stages, and JOWA offered it in several sizes under the one designation. That means "3SEP" on its own identifies a family, not a parts list; the size stamped on the unit plate is what the insert and the plate pack are actually matched against, and it belongs in the request ahead of the family name.
The two consumables on a two-stage plant are not interchangeable requests. The coalescing plate pack serves the first stage, where free oil is released to the sludge tank, and the filter inserts serve the two filter tanks of the second stage, where emulsified oil is removed, so they are quoted as separate lines rather than one combined kit. They should travel with the monitor parts and the valve items on the same request, and the approval the plant was built to has to be stated: JOWA builds the 3SEP as a 15 ppm separator to MEPC.107(49) and as a 5 ppm separator under DNV CP-0208.
Seaguard is a separate purchase from the separator, both in how it wears and in how it is supplied. JOWA sells it as part of a new 3SEP installation and as a standalone retrofit on other plants, so a Seaguard request cannot assume which one applies. The measuring cell, sample line, seals and the alarm or display unit are the parts that wear; the mounting kit differs between a factory-fitted and a retrofitted unit, so that has to be confirmed before the rest of the line is quoted.
What a JOWA line resolves to
Grouped as the separator, its consumables and its monitor divide, because a plate-pack line and a Seaguard line are not the same kind of request.
- Coalescing plate packs for the first stage of the 3SEP
- Filter inserts for the second stage, matched to the discharge standard the plant is set for
- The first-stage oil sensor and its automatic oil-release valve, and the overboard valve that closes and returns water to the bilge on a ppm alarm
- Seaguard sensors with their automatic flush, and the flow sensor JOWA supplies with each bilge alarm
- Seaguard sample line items
- Seaguard seals
- Seaguard display units and the removable SD card the log is saved on
- Mounting kits, quoted against factory-fitted or retrofit installation
A 3SEP line names a family, not a size — the plate figure decides the pack. Broader engine-room routing sits on engine room equipment.
The fields a JOWA requisition tends to be missing
Written as an audit of the lines that come back for a second question rather than as a general checklist.
- The full size designation from the unit plate (JOWA lists five 3SEP sizes), not just "3SEP"
- Whether the request is for the coalescing plate pack, the filter insert, or both
- Whether the plant is the 15 ppm build (MEPC.107(49)) or the 5 ppm build (DNV CP-0208), as shown on its type approval certificate
- Whether Seaguard is factory-fitted with the 3SEP or a standalone retrofit
- Photographs of the unit plate and, separately, the Seaguard nameplate where one is fitted
- The sample line routing where a Seaguard part is requested
- Which Seaguard is fitted — the 15 ppm or the 5 ppm version — and whether the fault is in the sensor, the flow sensor or the display
- Vessel and IMO number, the port and the ETA
The separator, the consumable and the monitor travel different routes
What is being renewed on a JOWA line decides the route as much as the designation does.
Coalescing plate packs, filter inserts and solenoid valve items are ordinary consumable questions once the size and the discharge standard are confirmed, and a verified alternative can be reviewed against those two facts. Seaguard sits closer to an instrumentation question: the measuring cell, sample line and seals are consumable items, but the alarm or display unit and the mounting kit are read against whether the installation is factory-fitted or retrofitted, since that is what the unit is actually built into.
Vessel Core marks the proposed route against each line rather than against the JOWA name as a whole, because a plate-pack line and a Seaguard line rarely belong to the same review.
JOWA separators — questions buyers ask
My unit plate just says 3SEP. Is that enough to quote the insert and plate pack?
Not on its own. The 3SEP was offered in several sizes under one designation, and the insert and plate pack follow the size stamped on the unit plate rather than the family name. Send the size from the plate, not just "3SEP".
Are the coalescing plate pack and the filter insert the same service item?
No. The coalescing plate pack belongs to the first stage, where free oil separates by gravity, and the filter inserts to the two filter tanks of the second stage, where emulsified oil is removed. List them as separate lines, along with the monitor parts and the valve items, and state whether the plant is the 15 ppm or the 5 ppm build, since JOWA approves the two to different standards.
Is Seaguard sold as a standalone item, or only with a 3SEP?
Both. Seaguard is JOWA's bilge alarm and oil content monitor, sold as part of a 3SEP installation and also as a standalone retrofit. Say whether the monitor is factory-fitted or retrofitted, because the mounting kit differs between the two.
What actually wears on a Seaguard unit?
The service items are the sensor, which JOWA keeps clean with an automatic flush, the flow sensor JOWA supplies with every bilge alarm, the sample line and its seals, and the removable SD card the log is saved on. State whether the unit is the 15 ppm or the 5 ppm Seaguard, since JOWA sells both.
Can an alternative element be reviewed instead of the OEM part?
Only against the approval. An oily water separator is type-approved as an assembled arrangement, under an approval issued by the flag Administration or a recognised organisation acting for it, under the IMO resolution the unit was built against (MEPC.107(49) on later units, MEPC.60(33) on older installations), and recorded on the Type Approval Certificate. The coalescer plates and filter inserts should correspond to the configuration named in the approval of the separator, and the Seaguard is a bilge alarm with its own MEPC.107(49) type approval, so a verified alternative is reviewed against the certificate references rather than against the 3SEP name alone.
Is Vessel Core connected to JOWA?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no dealership, distribution, representation or partnership agreement with JOWA, and quoting a component against the 3SEP or Seaguard names implies no approval by the maker and no claim of interchangeability.
Submit your RFQ now.
Send your JOWA request — the unit designation (3SEP or Seaguard) with its size or model, the serial number, and the discharge standard the plant is set for. Vessel Core reviews the supply route and prepares a structured supply quotation.
