An Idiot's Guide to MARPOL ANNEX I

MARPOL ANNEX 1

(revised from MARPOL Edition 2011)

International Regulation for the Prevention of Pollution by OIL

Enforcement: 2 Oct 1983

Revision: 1 Jan 2007

Regulations: 38

Chapter 1 - General

Regulation 1: Definitions

• Oil: Petroleum in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse and refined products
• Crude oil: Any liquid hydrocarbon mixture occurring naturally in the earth
• Oil tanker: A ship constructed or adapted primarily to carry oil in bulk
• Crude oil tanker: An oil tanker engaged in the trade of carrying crude oil
• Product carrier: An oil tanker engaged in the trade of carrying oil other than crude oil
• Combination carrier: A ship designed to carry either oil or solid cargoes in bulk
• Nearest land: The term "from the nearest land" means from the baseline from which the territorial sea of the territory is established
• Special area: A sea area where for recognized technical reasons in relation to its oceanographical and ecological condition and to the particular character of its traffic the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution by oil is required
• Special Areas List (for this annex):

1. the Mediterranean Sea
2. the Baltic Sea area
3. the Black Sea
4. the Red Sea
5. the Gulf of Aden
6. the Antarctic area
7. the North West European waters (includes North Sea, Celtic Sea, English Channel)
8. the Oman area of the Arabian Sea
9. the Southern South African waters

·  Instantaneous rate: Rate of discharge of oil content means the rate of discharge of oil in L/hr at any instant divided by the speed of the ship in knots at the same instant

·  Slop tank: A tank specifically designated for the collection of tank draining, tank washing and other oily mixtures

·  Clean ballast: The ballast in a tank which, since oil was last carried therein, has been so cleaned that effluent therefrom if it were discharged from a ship would not produce visible traces of oil on the surface of the water

·  Segregated ballast means the ballast water introduced into a tank which is completely separated from the cargo oil and oil fuel system

·  Anniversary date: The day and the month of each year, which will correspond to the date of expiry of the IOPPC

·  IOPPC: International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate

·  Oil Residue (sludge): The residual waste oil products generated during the normal operation of a ship such as fuel oil purification, waste oil from drip trays etc

·  Oil residue (sludge) tank: Tank which holds oil residue (sludge) from which sludge may be disposed directly through the standard discharge connection

·  Oily bilge water: Water which may be contaminated by oil resulting from things such as leakage or maintenance work in machinery spaces. Any liquid entering the bilge system including bilge wells, bilge piping, tank top or bilge holding tanks is considered oily bilge water

Regulation 2: Application

• Unless expressly provided otherwise, the provisions of this Annex shall apply to all ships.

Regulation 3: Exemptions

• Any ship such as hydrofoil, air-cushion vehicle, near-surface craft and submarine craft etc.
•  
• The Admin may waive the requirements of regulations 29, 31 and 32 of this Annex, for any oil tanker which engages exclusively on voyages both of 72 h or less in duration and within 50 nautical miles from the nearest land

Regulation 4: Exceptions

• Regulations 15 and 34 of this Annex shall not apply to:

1. The discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixture necessary for the purpose of securing the safety of a ship or saving life at sea
2. the discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixture resulting from damage to a ship or its equipment, only when all the precaution are taken to avoid such a situation

Regulation 5: Equivalents

•  
• The Administration may allow any fitting, material, appliance or apparatus to be fitted in a ship as an alternative to that required by this Annex if such fitting, material, appliance or apparatus is at least as effective as that required by this Annex.

Chapter 2 - Surveys and certification

Regulation 6: Surveys

• Every oil tanker >= 100 GT & other ships >= 400 GT, are subject to following surveys to ensure that the structure, equipment, systems, fittings, arrangements and material fully comply with the applicable requirements of this Annex:

1. Initial Survey: Before the ship is put in service or before the Certificate (IOPPC) is issued for the first time.
2. Renewal Survey: <= 5 years.
3. Intermediate Survey: Within 3 months before/after 2nd/3rd Anniversary Date of the Certificate.
4. Annual Survey: Within 3 months before/after each anniversary date.
5. Additional Survey: Either general or partial, according to the circumstances such as major repair, replacement of the approved items/machinery as per this Annex.

• The Administration must appoint a competent surveyor officer to carry out various surveys. Such an officer holds the power to dismiss a vessel until its defects are rectified.

Regulation 7: Issue or endorsement of certificate

• An International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate (IOPPC) shall be issued upon successful initial/renewal survey to an oil tanker >= 150GT or another ship >= 400 GT.

Regulation 8: Issue/Endorsement  of certificate by another Government

• A Govt of a party to this convention, upon request by the Admin, shall do a survey of their vessel and upon satisfaction, issue IOPPC.
• A copy of such certificate must be submitted to th Admin as soon as possible.

Regulation 9: Form of certificate

• The International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate shall be at least English, French or Spanish. If an official language of the issuing country is also used then its advised to keep a translation copy in above said languages.

Regulation 10: Duration and validity of certificate

• IOPPC must be issued for <= 5 years.
• If renewal of cert not done within 3 months of anniversary date, then new cert shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate.
• If at the time of the survey, ship is not in port, then a max extension of 3 months shall be allowed, only to allow it to reach the survey port.
• If the flag of the ship is changed then existing cert becomes invalid and new cert is issued by the new govt within 3 months of transfer to that flag.

Regulation 11: Port State control on operational requirements

•  
• A ship when in a port of another Party is subject to inspection by officers duly authorized, where there are clear grounds for believing that the master or crew are not familiar with essential shipboard procedures relating to the prevention of pollution by oil, in such a case the Party shall take such steps as will ensure that the ship shall not sail until the situation has been brought to order in accordance with the requirement of this Annex.

Chapter 3 - Requirements for machinery spaces of all ships

Regulation 12: 

Tanks for oil residues

• Each ship >= 400 GT, shall be provided with tanks of appropriate capacity to collect sludge based upon the length of voyage, condition of machinery etc.
• Shall have no discharge connections to the bilge system, oily bilge water holding tank(s), tank top or oily water separators except that the tank(s) may be fitted with drains, with manually operated self-closing valves and arrangements for subsequent visual monitoring of the settled water, that lead to an oily water holding tank or bilge well, or an alternative arrangement, provided such arrangement does not connect directly to the bilge piping system.
• Oil residue (sludge) may be disposed of directly from the oil residue (sludge) tank(s) through the standard discharge connection.
• Piping to and from oil residue (sludge) tanks shall have no direct connection overboard.

Regulation 12A: Oil fuel tank protection

Regulation 13: Standard discharge connection

• To enable pipes of reception facilities to be connected with the ship's discharge pipeline for residues from machinery bilges and from oil residue (sludge) tanks, both lines shall be fitted with a standard discharge connection in accordance with the following table:

 

Regulation 14: Oil filtering equipment

• Any Ship 400 <= GT < 10000, shall be fitted with Oil Filtering Equipment which has to be of a design approved by the Administration and shall be such as will ensure that any oily mixture discharged into the sea after passing through the system has an oil content not exceeding 15 ppm.
• Any Ship GT >= 10000 shall be equipped as per above paragraph. But in addition, it shall be provided with alarm arrangements to indicate when this level cannot be maintained. The system shall also be provided with arrangements to ensure that any discharge of oily mixtures are automatically stopped when the oil content of the effluent exceeds 15 ppm.
• Ships GT < 400 GT, to retain on board oil or oily mixtures for subsequent discharge to reception facilities if vessel en-route, OWS operated @ 15 ppm restriction, oily mixture does not originate from cargo pump-room bilges on oil tankers

Regulation 15: Control of discharge of oil

• Discharges Outside Special Areas

Ships GT >= 400 prohibited to discharge oil unless,

1. Ship En-Route
2. Oily mixture is processed through OWS @ ppm <= 15
3. Oily mixture does not originate from cargo pump-room bilges on oil tankers
4. Oily mixture, in case of oil tankers, is not mixed with oil cargo residues

• Discharges in Special Areas

Ships GT >= 400 prohibited to discharge oil unless,

1. Ship En-Route
2. Oily mixture is processed through OWS @ ppm <= 15
3. OWS to be equipped with 15 ppm Alarm and automatic stopping arrangement
4. Oily mixture does not originate from cargo pump-room bilges on oil tankers
5. Oily mixture, in case of oil tankers, is not mixed with oil cargo residues

•  
• In respect of the Antarctic area, any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any ship shall be prohibited
• If there are visible oil traces on surface of sea water, then Govt of parties to this convention must inspect the cause & contentment of such cause.
• No chemical to be discharged in any way in any concentration (hazard to marine ecology)
•  
• The oil residues which cannot be discharged into the sea in compliance with this regulation shall be retained on board for subsequent discharge to reception facilities

Regulation 16: Segregation of oil and water ballast and carriage of oil in forepeak tanks

• Ship GT >= 4000 (delivery 31 Dec 79), Oil Tanker >= 150 (delivery after 31 Dec 79), no ballast water shall be carried in any oil fuel tank.
• Contaminated Ballast Water to discharge to Shore Facility and entry made in ORB-1.
• After 1 July 1982, oil shall not be carried in a forepeak tank or a tank forward of the collision bulkhead

Regulation 17: 

Oil Record Book Part I - Machinery space operations

• Oil Tanker GT >= 150, Other Ship GT >= 400, shall be provided with an Oil Record Book Part I (Machinery space operations).
•  
• The Oil Record Book Part I shall be completed on each occasion, on a tank-to-tank basis if appropriate, whenever any of the following machinery space operations takes place in the ship:

1. ballasting or cleaning of oil fuel tanks
2. discharge of dirty ballast (cleaning water) from oil fuel tanks
3. collection and disposal of oil residues (sludge)
4. discharge of bilge water to sea/shore facility
5. bunkering of fuel or bulk lubricating oil
6. internal tank-tank transfers

• In case of accidental discharge of oil, and report must be attached in ORB-1 stating the reasons for such discharge.
•  
• Each completed operation shall be signed by the officer or officers in charge of the operations concerned and each completed page shall be signed by the master of ship.
• Any failure of the oil filtering equipment shall be recorded in the Oil Record Book Part I.

Chapter 4 - Requirements for the cargo area of oil tankers

Regulation 18: 

Segregated ballast tanks

Regulation 19: Double hull and double bottom requirements for oil tankers

Regulation 20: Double hull and double bottom requirements for oil tankers

•  
• The Administration may allow continued operation of a Category 2 or 3 oil tanker of 15 years and over after the date of its delivery, if satisfactory results of the Condition Assessment Scheme warrant that, in the opinion of the Administration, the ship is fit to continue such operation, provided that the operation shall not go beyond the anniversary of the date of delivery of the ship in 2015 or the date on which the ship reaches 25 years after the date of its delivery, whichever is the earlier date.

Regulation 21: Prevention of oil pollution from oil tankers carrying heavy grade oil as cargo

• For the purpose of this regulation heavy grade oil means any of the following:

1. Crude oils having a density at 15°C higher than 900 kg/m3
2. Oils, other than crude oils, having either a density at 15°C higher than 900 kg/m3 or a kinematic viscosity at 50°C higher than 180 mm2/s

• If an oil tanker of 600<= GT < 5000, GT >= 5000 has satisfactory CAS, then it shall be allowed to carry heavy grade oil of 900 <= density <= 945 (kg/m3) until it reaches the age of 25 years from the date of its delivery.
• Admin has right to void the above said statement at any time if not satisfied.
• Govt of any Party to the Convention, shall prohibit the entry of a vessel as said in the above para, on the grounds of safety of their property.

Regulation 22: Pump-room bottom protection

•  
• This regulation applies to oil tankers of 5,000 tonnes deadweight and above constructed on or after 1 January 2007.
•  
• The pump-room shall be provided with a double bottom such that at any cross-section the depth of each double bottom tank or space shall be such that the distance h between the bottom of the pump-room and the ship's baseline measured at right angles to the ship's baseline is not less than h = 1 m (min).

Regulation 23: Accidental oil outflow performance

Regulation 24: Damage assumptions

Regulation 25: Hypothetical outflow of oil

Regulation 26: Limitations of size and arrangement of cargo tanks

Regulation 27: Intact stability

Regulation 28: Subdivision and damage stability

Regulation 29: Slop tanks

• Oil Tankers GT >= 150, slop tanks must be provided.
•  The total capacity of the slop tank(s) shall be minimum 3% of the oil-carrying capacity of the ship.
•  Adequate means shall be provided for cleaning the cargo tanks and transferring the dirty ballast residue and tank washings from the cargo tanks into a slop tank.
• Slop tanks shall be so designed, particularly in respect of the position of inlets, outlets, baffles or weirs, so as to avoid excessive turbulence and entrainment of oil or emulsion with the water.
• Oil tankers GT >= 70000 (delivery 31 Dec 79) must have at least 2 slop tanks.

Regulation 30: Pumping, piping and discharge arrangement

• In every oil tanker, a discharge manifold for connection to reception facilities shall be located on the open deck on both sides of the ship.
• Oil Tanker GT >= 150, pipelines for the discharge to the sea of ballast water or oil-contaminated water from cargo tank areas shall be led to the open deck or to the ship's side above the waterline in the deepest ballast condition. Means shall be provided for stopping the discharge into the sea.
• Every oil tanker delivered after 1 June 1982, required to be provided with segregated ballast tanks or fitted with a crude oil washing system.
• On every oil tanker at sea, dirty ballast water or oil-contaminated water from tanks in the cargo area, other than slop tanks, may be discharged by gravity below the waterline, provided that sufficient time elapsed in order to allow oil/water separation to have taken place and the ballast water been examined immediately before the discharge with an oil/water interface detector.
• Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above delivered on or after 1 January 2010, which has installed a sea chest that is permanently connected to the cargo pipeline system,shall be equipped with both a sea chest valve and an inboard isolation valve. In addition to these valves, sea chest shall be capable of isolation from the cargo piping system,while the tanker is loading, transporting,or discharging cargo by use of a positive means.

Regulation 31:Oil discharge monitoring and control system

• Oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above shall be equipped with an oil discharge monitoring and control system.
• The system shall be fitted with a recording device to provide a continuous record of the discharge in litres per nautical mile and total quantity discharged, or the oil content and rate of discharge. This record shall be identifiable as to time and date and shall be kept for at least three years.
• The oil discharge monitoring and control system shall come into operation when there is any discharge of effluent into the sea and shall be such as will ensure that any discharge of oily
• mixture is automatically stopped when the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil exceeds that permitted by Admin
• Instructions as to the operation of the system shall be in accordance with an operational manual approved by the Administration. They shall cover manual as well as automatic operations and shall be intended to ensure that at no time shall oil be discharged

Regulation 32: Oil/water interface detector

·     Oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above shall be provided with effective oil/water interface detectors approved by the Administration for a rapid and accurate determination of the oil/water interface in slop tanks and shall be available for use in other tanks where the separation of oil and water is effected and from which it is intended to discharge effluent direct to the sea.

Regulation 33: Crude oil washing requirements

·        Every crude oil tanker, DWT > 20000 (delivery 1 June 1982) shall be fitted with a cargo tank cleaning system using crude oil washing.

·        For LEARNING ABOUT THE CRUDE OIL WASHING (COW) REGULATIONS, CLICK HERE, COW REGULATION REQUIREMENTS!

Regulation 34: Control of discharge of oil (For Oil Tankers)

Discharges outside special areas

Any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from the cargo area of an oil tanker shall be prohibited except when all the following conditions are satisfied:

·       the tanker is not within a special area;

·       the tanker is more than 50 nautical miles from the nearest land;

·       the tanker is proceeding en route;

·       the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 30 litres per nautical mile;

·       the total quantity of oil discharged into the sea does not exceed for:

1.    Old Tankers (delivery on/before 31 Dec 79), 1/15000 of total particular cargo

2.    New Tankers (delivery post 31 Dec 79), 1/30000 of total particular cargo

·        the tanker has in operation an oil discharge monitoring and control system and a slop tank arrangement

Discharges in special areas.

Any discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixture from the cargo area of an oil tanker shall be prohibited while in a special area

The provisions of above para shall not apply to the discharge of clean or segregated ballast.

Regulation 35: Crude oil washing operations

·      Every oil tanker operating with crude oil washing systems shall be provided with an Operations and Equipment Manual detailing the system and equipment and specifying operational procedures. If an alteration affecting the crude oil washing system is made, the Operations and Equipment Manual shall be revised accordingly.

Regulation 36: Oil Record Book Part II - Cargo/ballast operations

·    Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above shall be provided with an Oil Record Book Part II (Cargo/Ballast Operations).

·        The Oil Record Book Part II shall be completed on each occasion, on a tank-to-tank basis if appropriate,whenever any of the following cargo/ballast operations take place in the ship:

.1 loading of oil cargo;

.2 internal transfer of oil cargo during voyage;

.3 unloading of oil cargo;

.4 ballasting of cargo tanks and dedicated clean ballast tanks;

.5 cleaning of cargo tanks including crude oil washing;

.6 discharge of ballast except from segregated ballast tanks;

.7 discharge of water from slop tanks;

.8 closing of all applicable valves or similar devices after slop tank discharge operations;

.9 closing of valves necessary for isolation of dedicated clean ballast tanks from cargo and stripping

lines after slop tank discharge operations; and

.10 disposal of residues.

·    The total quantity of oil and water used for washing and returned to a storage tank shall be recorded in the Oil Record Book Part II.

·    In the event of accidental or other exceptional discharge of oil not excepted by that regulation, a statement shall be made in the Oil Record Book Part II of the circumstances of, and the reasons for, the discharge.

·    Each Ops recorded and signed by Duty Engineer and each completed page signed by Master of the vessel.

·    OWS failure to be recorded in ORB-II

·    Readily available for inspection

Regulation 37: Shipboard oil pollution emergency plan

Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 gross tonnage and above shall carry on board a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan approved by the Administration.

·       The plan shall consist at least of  the procedure to be followed by the master or other persons having charge of the ship to report anoil pollution incident

·       the list of authorities or persons to be contacted in the event of an oil pollution incident

·       a detailed description of the action to be taken immediately by persons on board

·       the procedures and point of contact on the ship for coordinating shipboard action with national and local authorities in combating the pollution.

·       In the case of ships to which regulation 17 of Annex II of the present Convention also applies, such a plan may be combined with the shipboard marine pollution emergency plan for noxious liquid substances required under regulation 17 of Annex II of the present Convention.

·       All oil tankers of 5,000 tonnes deadweight or more shall have prompt access to computerized shore based damage stability and residual structural strength calculation programs.

Chapter 6 - Reception facilities

Regulation 38: Reception facilities

·   The Government of each Party to the present Convention undertakes to ensure the provision at oil loading terminals, repair ports, and in other ports in which ships have oily residues to discharge, of facilities for the reception of such residues and oily mixtures as remain from oil tankers and other ships adequate to meet the needs of the ships using them without causing undue delay to ships.

·   For special areas, the Government of each Party to the present Convention having under its jurisdiction entrances to seawater courses with low depth contour which might require a reduction of draught by the discharge of ballast shall ensure the provision of the facilities referred to in paragraph 4 of this regulation but with the proviso that ships required to discharge slops or dirty ballast could be subject to some delay.

Regulation 39: Special requirements for fixed or floating platforms

Chapter 8 - Prevention of pollution during transfer of oil cargo between oil tankers at sea (new)

Regulation 40: Scope of application

·        Applicable to Oil Tankers, GT >= 150

·        For tankers engaged in the transfer of oil cargo between oil tankers at sea (STS operations)

·        Not apply to oil transfer operations associated with fixed or floating platforms including drilling rigs

·        The regulations contained in this chapter shall not apply to bunkering operations

·        Does not apply, if done to save life at sea or safety of ship

·        Does not apply to Naval Ship

Regulation 41: General rules on safety and environmental protection

·        Every vessel must carry a STS Ops plan. This must be in working language of the ship.

·        It must be presented before first, annual or intermediate survey when held >= 1 Jan 11

·        The STS Plan may be incorporated in the SMS of the vessel as per SOLAS Ch IX

·        The person in overall advisory control of STS operations shall be qualified to perform all relevant duties, taking into account the qualifications contained in the best practice guidelines for STS operations

Regulation 42: Notification

·      Each oil tanker subject to this chapter that plans STS operations within the territorial sea, or the exclusive economic  zone of a Party to the present Convention shall notify that Party not less than 48 h in advance of the scheduled STS operations.

·      The notification must include the following info:

1.  Name, flag, call sign, IMO Number and estimated time of arrival of the oil tankers involved in the STS operations

2.  Date and Time of Ops including the geographical location

3.  Whether STS Ops to be done at anchor/underway

4.  Type of oil to be transferred

Chapter 9 - Special requirements for the use

or carriage of oils in the Antarctic area

Regulation 43: Special requirements for the use or carriage of oils in the Antarctic area

1 With the exception of vessels engaged in securing the safety of ships or in a search and rescue operation,

the carriage in bulk as cargo or carriage and use as fuel of the following:

.1 crude oils having a density at 15°C higher than 900 kg/m3;

.2 oils, other than crude oils, having a density at 15°C higher than 900 kg/m3 or a kinematic viscosity

at 50°C higher than 180 mm2/s; or

.3 bitumen, tar and their emulsions,

shall be prohibited in the Antarctic area, as defined in Annex I, regulation 1.11.7.

2 When prior operations have included the carriage or use of oils listed in paragraphs 1.1 to 1.3 of this

regulation, the cleaning or flushing of tanks or pipelines is not required.

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