MARPOL 1973, as amended

Adoption: 1973 (Convention), 1978 (1978 Protocol), 1997 (Protocol - Annex VI);
Entry into force: 2 October 1983 (Annexes I & II)

International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)

Introduction & History

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main
international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from
operational or accidental causes.

The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was
adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977. As the 1973 MARPOL Convention
had not yet entered into force, the 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention. The
combined instrument entered into force on 2 October 1983. In 1997, a Protocol was adopted to amend
the Convention and a new Annex VI was added which entered into force on 19 May 2005. MARPOL
has been updated by amendments through the years.

The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships - both
accidental pollution and that from routine operations - and currently includes six technical Annexes.
Special Areas with strict controls on operational discharges are included in most Annexes.

Annex I Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil (entered into force 2 October 1983)

Covers prevention of pollution by oil from operational measures as well as from accidental
discharges; the 1992 amendments to Annex I made it mandatory for new oil tankers to have double
hulls and brought in a phase-in schedule for existing tankers to fit double hulls, which was
subsequently revised in 2001 and 2003.

Chapter 1 – General: Deals with general topics like definitions of ‘Oil’, ‘Ballast’, ‘Length’, ‘Breadth’,
meaning of old, existing or new tankers (dates depend on Regulations), Special Areas and co-
ordinates and other definitions. It also explains about the Application of this Annex i.e. which Ships
have to comply with it.

Chapter 2 – Surveys and Certification explain about the Certificate issued under this Annex, the
inspection/ survey regimes and most important in Regulation 11 which empowers Port State Control
Officers to inspect the arrangements on any Vessel.

Chapter 3 – Requirements for Machinery Spaces (Engine Room) on all Ships.

This Chapter contains all requirements concerning positions of fuel tanks, oil filtering equipment, type
of standard discharge connections and most importantly, Regulation 17 i.e. Oil Record Book Part 1.
Chapter 4 – Requirements for Cargo Area of Oil Tankers.
This Chapter contains requirements for capacity and position of Segregated Ballast Tanks (Regulation
18), requirement for double hull construction (Regulation 19), damage assumptions (Regulation 24),
intact stability criteria (Regulation 27) and many other important Regulations. Most important is
Regulation 34 which is concerning the discharge criteria from oil tankers and Regulation 36 – Oil
Record Book Part 2.

Home Assignment: List the MARPOL Annex I Special Areas, revise the Discharge Criteria for
Machinery Spaces, Cargo Areas and Clean Ballast.

This Chapter is continuously being revised in the wake of pollution incidents and maritime disasters.
Minor amendments are promulgated every year and major amendments (Protocol) take a longer time
and procedure to come into force.

Chapter 5 – This has only one important Regulation (37) i.e. Requirement of SOPEP.

Home Assignment: List the contents of SOPEP.

Chapter 6 – Concerning Shore reception facilities, especially in a Special Area.

Chapter 7 – Special requirements for fixed or floating platforms.

Chapter 8 – Requirements during STS Operations and most importantly, requirement for Ships to
have an approved STS Plan (Regulation 41).

Chapter 9 – Carriage of heavy density oils in the Antartic Area (not within the scope of usual
Merchant Trade).

The Appendices to this Annex give guidelines for the proforma of Certificate, ORB entries, and
Unified Interpretations. Unified Interpretations are mentioned throughout the Regulations in Annex 1
and they are references or explanation on many clauses or wordings in the main Regulations.
Annex II Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in
Bulk (entered into force 2 October 1983)

Details the discharge criteria and measures for the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances
carried in bulk; some 250 substances were evaluated and included in the list appended to the
Convention; the discharge of their residues is allowed only to reception facilities until certain
concentrations and conditions (which vary with the category of substances) are complied with.

In any case, no discharge of residues containing noxious substances is permitted within 12 miles of
the nearest land.

As in Annex 1, the format of this Annex is the same i.e. Chapter 1 defines various terms used in this
Annex and the Chemical Codes (IBC & BCH).

Chapter 2 – defines the 3 + 1 categorization of Chemicals and also refers to how the Chemicals are
categorized. Note that throughout the Annex, ‘Chemicals’ are actually referred to as ‘Noxious Liquid
Substances’ because many ‘Chemicals’ are derived from Petroleum and so there is some grey area as
to whether they should be called as ‘Chemical’ or ‘Petro-chemical’ or as a ‘Clean Petroleum Product’.
This Chapter also gives us guidelines as to how to proceed if a ‘new’ chemical which has not been
categorized is to be transported (MEPC.2/ Circ.X as revised)

Chapter 3 – Surveys and Certification explain about the Certificate issued under this Annex and the
inspection/ survey regimes.

Chapter 4 – pertains to design and construction elements on a Chemical Tanker. The technical details
are mentioned in the Chemical Codes. This Chapter defines the effectiveness of stripping systems on
Chemical Tankers and gives details of the test that is conducted during initial and renewal surveys to
check this effectiveness. A very important paragraph in this Chapter explains that there are no
designated slop tanks on a Chemical Tanker and any cargo tank can be used for slops. This is very
different from the definition of slop tanks as per Annex 1.

Home Assignment: Revise the Ship types below.

Chapter 5 is the most important chapter of this Annex that explains the discharge criteria from
Chemical Tankers, requirement of a Procedures and Arrangements Manual and the Cargo Record
Book.

Summary of Stripping and Discharge Requirements:

Home Assignment: Learn and understand the Stripping & Discharge Criteria.

Chapter 6 – has a single Regulation that empowers Port State Control for checking Chemical Tankers.

Chapter 7 – a single Regulation for requirement of SMPEP. It also states that the SOPEP as required
An.I/ Reg. 37 can be combined with the SMPEP.
Chapter 8 – Requirement of reception facilities.

The Appendices to this Annex give guidelines for the proforma of Certificate, CRB entries, format of
P&A Manual, procedure for categorisation of NLS, striping test, prewash procedures etc. Usually,
these Appendices are reproduced verbatim in the Ship-specific P&A Manual.

Annex III Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form
(entered into force 1 July 1992)

Contains general requirements for the issuing of detailed standards on packing, marking, labelling,
documentation, stowage, quantity limitations, exceptions and notifications.

For the purpose of this Annex, “harmful substances” are those substances which are identified as
marine pollutants in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) or which meet
the criteria in the Appendix of Annex III.

Class 1 Explosives
Class 2 Gases
Class 3 Flammable liquids
Class 4 Flammable solids
Class 5 Oxidizing substances and organic peroxides
Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances
Class 7 Radioactive material
Class 8 Corrosive substances
Class 9 Miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles

This is the smallest of all Annexes and it has only one chapter with all the Regulations. The
Regulations refer to the IMDG Code and as usual, empower Port State Control for Inspections. Ships
are not awarded any separate Certificate to comply with this Annex but the IMDG Code mentions
some documents that are mandatory to be carried when substances classified under this Annex are
carried on board – whether as cargo or as stores. A good example of this is MSDS.
Annex IV Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships (entered into force 27 September 2003)
Contains requirements to control pollution of the sea by sewage; the discharge of sewage into the sea
is prohibited, except when the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant or when the
ship is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage using an approved system at a distance of
more than three nautical miles from the nearest land; sewage which is not comminuted or disinfected
has to be discharged at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.

All Ships have to comply with this Annex and the format of this Annex is the same as in Annexes 1 &
2 i.e. Chapter 1 – Definitions, Chapter 2 – Surveys and certification, Chapter 3 – Equipment and
discharge criteria, Chapter 4 – Reception facilities and Chapter 5 – Port State Control.

It also has the usual Appendices and Unified Interpretations giving information about form of
certificates, surveys etc.

Annex V Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (entered into force 31 December 1988)

Deals with different types of garbage and specifies the distances from land and the manner in which
they may be disposed of; the most important feature of the Annex is the complete ban imposed on the
disposal into the sea of all forms of plastics.

After Annexes 1 and 2, this is the Annex that has been modified most number of times. All
Regulations are included in a single chapter which covers every aspect of garbage generation,
segregation, treatment and disposal inside and outside a Special Area. As usual, there are also
Regulations for the documents required to be maintained on board and empowerment of Port State
Control. There is an Appendix that gives the form of the Garbage Record Book.

The new Annex V also defines Cargo residues, Animal carcasses. Fishing gear etc. to be disposed off
outside a Special Area and as far as possible from nearest land taking into account, the guidelines
developed by the Organization.
Annex VI Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships (entered into force 19 May 2005)
Sets limits on sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate
emissions of ozone depleting substances; designated emission control areas set more stringent
standards for SOx, NOx and particulate matter. A chapter adopted in 2011 covers mandatory
technical and operational energy efficiency measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from ships.

The format of the Annex is the usual i.e. Chapter 1 – General, Chapter 2 – Surveys, Certification and
Port State Control empowerment.

Chapter 3 – Ozone depleting substances and requirement of ODS Record Book, NOx limits as below,

NOx Limits:

SOx and Particulate Matter as below:

SOx Limits:
Volatile Organic Compounds and requirement of a VOC Management Plan, Shipboard Incinerator
and its certification and other Regulations.

The usual appendices at the end give the form of Certificate, information required to be placed on the
Bunker Delivery Note, Fuel verification procedure etc.