Topic 5 Prevention Of Marine Pollution

Question 1

Q1
a) Explain the constraints which the MARPOL Convention imposes upon the discharge of oil into the sea from ships. (15)
b) Define what constitutes ‘oil’ for the above purposes. (5)

Answer 1

Any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from an oil tanker or other ships of 400 tons gross tonnage and above is prohibited while in a special area.
Control of Discharge of Oil - Regulation 15

A) All ships with a gross tonnage (gt) of 400 or more: Discharge of oil and oily mixtures from the machinery spaces.
Within the special areas:
DISCHARGING FORBIDDEN with the exception of cases meeting all of the following conditions:
1) the ship is proceeding en route,
2) the oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 pm, and
3) the oily mixture is processed through an oil filtering equipment meeting the requirements of this Annex (oil content of the effluent does not exceed 15 pm, alarm arrangement and automatic 15 pm stopping device are in place), and
4) the oily mixture is not mixed with cargo pump-room bilges or, in case of oil tankers, with oil cargo residues.

Outside the special areas:
DISCHARGING FORBIDDEN with the exception of cases meeting all of the following conditions:
1) the ship is proceeding en route,
2) the oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 pm, and
3) the oily mixture is processed through an oil filtering equipment meeting the requirements of this Annex, and
4) the oily mixture is not mixed with cargo pump-room bilges or, in case of oil tankers, with oil cargo residues.
Within the Antarctic area, any discharge into the sea of oil and oily mixtures from any ship is forbidden

Control of Discharge of Oil - Regulation 34
Regulation 34 covers the discharging of oil and oily mixtures from the cargo area (including the pump room) of oil tankers of all sizes. Within the special areas or outside of the special areas but within 50 m from the nearest land, DISCHARGING is

OIL
Annex I defines oil as: petroleum in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge, oil waste and refined products.
Annex I defines an oily mixture as: a mixture of two or more substances which contains any oil.

Question 2

Q2
a)Explain why the MARPOL Convention contains various Annexes. Identify those Annexes of relevance to the operation of a yacht which is being used only for sport and recreational purposes. (8)

Answer 2

MARPOL ANNEX I: REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION BY OIL
MARPOL ANNEX IV: SEWAGE
MARPOL ANNEX V: GARBAGE
MARPOL ANNEX VI: AIR POLLUTION

Question 3

Q3
To comply with Annexes I and V of the MARPOL Convention, yachts of 400 gt or over must carry a certificate, various documents and keep records.
a) Identify the certificate and the documents referred to and with reference to the certificate state its period of validity and surveys required to maintain validity. (8)
b) Describe the format and contents of the record required to be maintained under
Annex 1. (12)

Answer 3

Annex 1 - IOPPC valid for 5 years
Oil record book (keep for 3 years)
SOPEP

Annex 5 - Garbage management plan
Garbage record book (keep for 2 years)

Question 4

Q4
List all the annexes of MARPOL.

Answer 4

MARPOL ANNEX I: REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION BY OIL
MARPOL ANNEX II: MARPOL ANNEX I: REGULATIONS FOR THE CONTROL OF POLLUTION BY
NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES IN BULK
MARPOL ANNEX III:HARMFUL SUBSTANCES CARRIED BY SEA IN PACKAGE FORM
MARPOL ANNEX IV: SEWAGE
MARPOL ANNEX V: GARBAGE
MARPOL ANNEX VI: AIR POLLUTION

Question 5

Q5 To which yachts does the MARPOL Convention apply?

Answer 5

All Yachts

Question 6

Q6 Under what circumstances can discharges covered by Annex I be permitted?

Answer 6

DISCHARGING FORBIDDEN with the exception of cases meeting all of the following conditions:
1) the ship is proceeding en route,
2) the oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 pm, and
3) the oily mixture is processed through an oil filtering equipment meeting the requirements of this Annex (oil content of the effluent does not exceed 15 ppm, alarm arrangement and automatic 15 pm stopping device are in place), and
4) the oily mixture is not mixed with cargo pump-room bilges.

Question 7

Q7 Which yachts must have a Garbage Management Plan and what information must it contain?

Answer 7

Garbage Management Plans
Every ship of 100 gross tonnage and above, and every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons.

This plan must provide written instructions, including.
• Procedures for minimizing garbage
• Procedures for collecting garbage
• Procedures for processing garbage
• Procedures for storing garbage or reusable or recyclable material
• Procedures for discharging garbage
• The designated person in charge of carrying out the plan

Question 8

Q8 Which yachts must maintain a Garbage Record Book and what should be documented there in?

Answer 8

Garbage Record Books
Every ship of 400 gross tonnage and above, and every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals of another Party, and every fixed or floating platform must carry a Garbage Record Book.

Question 9

Q9 Explain the rules governing the disposal of Annex V substances outside special areas.

Answer 9

Disposal of garbage outside of special areas
Garbage may only be discharged into the sea certain distances away from the nearest land, while the ship is en route:
1) 3 nautical miles and more away; food wastes may be disposed of into the sea from the nearest land provided that it has been ground into parts smaller than 25mm
2) 12 nautical miles away; food wastes that have not been ground into smaller parts
3) 12 nautical miles away; cargo residues that cannot be recovered using commonly available methods for unloading. The cargo residues discharged into the sea may not contain any substances classified as harmful to the environment.

Question 10

Q10 State the structure of the SOPEP.

Answer 10

All ships of 400gt and above carry an approved Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP).
The SOPEP forms an integral part of the IOPP certificate and its existence is verified in the Supplement to the lOPP Certificate.
The purpose of a SOPEP is to have a clear plan of action ready in case of a pollution accident.
Parts of the SOPEP:
1) Procedures to be followed by the crew in case of an pollution incident
2) List of authorities to be contacted
3) List of actions immediately to be taken by the persons on board. An oil spill response team consisting of a group of crewmembers must try to minimise the outflow of oil and to reduce the effects of the spill. In this team every member has a designated function.
4) Materials available to combat the oil spill
5) Procedures to report the oil spill
The SOPEP plan requires regular drills in order to train and increase the preparedness of the crew in case of an actual oil spill

Question 11

a) List the 6 MARPOL annexes and state the pollutants covered by each. (6)
b) State to which yachts MARPOL annexes I, IV and V apply. (6)
c) State the conditions that must be met to make discharges of substances covered by MARPOL Annex I. (6)
d) List 3 conditions when a discharge of any of the above is allowed in any area. (2)