Bilge

The bilge /bɪldʒ/ of a ship or boat is the part of the hull that would rest on the ground if the vessel were unsupported by water.

Internally, the bilges (usually used in the plural in this context) is the lowest compartment on a ship or seaplane, on either side of the keel and (in a traditional wooden vessel) between the floors.

This water may be from rough seas, rain, leaks in the hull or stuffing box, or other interior spillage.

By housing water in a compartment, the bilge keeps these liquids below decks, making it safer for the crew to operate the vessel and for people to move around in heavy weather.

[8] Of the two general schools of thought on bioremediation, the one that uses beneficial microbes local to the bilge is regarded as being more "green" because it does not introduce foreign bacteria to the waters that the vessel sits in or travels through.

[10] These bilge alarms are electric devices that are also designed to detect leakages in the ship early before major damage is done to the vessel.