MARPOL

73/78
The international convention for the
prevention of pollution from ships,
1973 as modified by the protocol
of 1978 (MARPOL 73/78)
 Convention History
MARPOL is the main international convention aimed at the
prevention of pollution from ships caused by operational or
accidental causes. It was adopted at the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1973. The Protocol of 1978
was adopted in response to a number of tanker accidents in
1976–1977. The 1978 Protocol was absorbed into the parent
Convention and the combined instrument entered into force
in 1983. In 1997, a Protocol was adopted to amend the
Convention and a new Annex VI was added, which came
into force in May 2005.
 List of Annexes

Annex I :- Regulations for the prevention of pollution by oil.

Annex II:-Regulations for the control of pollution by noxious

liquid substances.

Annex III:-Prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried

in packaged form.

Annex IV:-Prevention of pollution by sewage from ships.

Annex V:- Prevention of pollution by garbage from ships.

Annex VI:-Prevention of air pollution from ships.

 Annex I
Regulations for the prevention of pollution
by oil

Definition
OIL :- Petroleum in any form
including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge
,oil refuse and refined products.
(other than those come under
annex II)
 Oily Mixtures
A mixtures with any oil content
Oil Fuel
Any oil which is used as fuel for
propulsion and auxiliary machines
of the ship in which that oil is
carried.
 Oil Tankers
it means the ship which is meant to carry oil as
a transportable goods in cargo holds of a ship
and also includes combination carriers , NLS
tanker and gas tankers.

NLS Tanker is defined in annex II of this

convention.
Product tankers are classified in regulations of
3.20 of SOLAS convention of 74.
 Special AREA

A particular area of sea in which

some suitable methods are used for
prevention of oil due to some
oceanographic ,ecological reasons
and also for its particular nature of
traffic.
 List of Special Area
1.Mediterranean Sea
2.Baltic Sea
3.Black Sea
4.Red Sea
5.The Pursian Gulf
6.Gulf of Aden
7.Antarctic Sea
8.North West European area
9.Oman area of the Arabian sea
10.Southern South African waters.
 Mediterranean Sea

It means the proper sea which includes the gulf and seas
with the boundary between mediterrian sea and Black
Sea is constituted by the 41(degree) north parallel and
bounded to the straight by the strait of gibraltar at the
meridian of 5(degree)36(minute)West.
 Baltic Sea

The area of sea including Gulf of Finland,Gulf of

Riga,Gulf of Bothnia,Gulf of Godansk and the entry way
is located parallel of the Skaw in Skaggeerak at
57(deg)44.8(min)North
 Black Sea

Black Sea mainly comprises of the sea area joining two

rivers named as Dnipro River and Danube River.It meets
with the Medditerrian sea through small passage at
 Red Sea

The proper red sea including Gulf of Suez and Aqaba bounded at the
south by the rhumb line between the Ras si Ane (12(deg) 28.5(min) N
43(deg) 19.6(min)E and Husn Murad(12(deg)40.4(min)N
43(deg)30.2(min)E).
Gulf Area
 Gulf of Aden Area

It is the extension of the Indian ocean and it is located

between Asia and Africa. It forms the natural
seperation between the Somalia and Africa.
Antarctic Area
NORTH WEST EUROPEAN WATER
OMAN AREA OF ARABIAN SEA
 PSSA
Particularly Sensitive Sea Water is the area of
seawater which needs to be protected by IMO due to
its significance of recognized ecological or socio
economic and scientific reasons and which may be
vulnerable to damage by international maritime
activities.

In october 2002 the marine environment protection

committee of international maritime organization
designated major parts of dutch,german and danish
wadden sea as a PSSA.The identification of the PSSA
areas are not mutually exclusive they may be inside or
Criteria for designating a place as a
PSSA
1.Ecological criteria:-due to having rare or exceptional
ecosystem.

2.Vulnerability :- Due to human interference damaging

the place surroundings(degradation of natural things).

3.Historic,educational and may be a major tourist spot.

4.Research:-for scientists who visit there for

researching or may be there any exceptional habitats
which makes these area as exception or rare for
 Wing Tank
The tank adjacent to the side shell plating
 Centre Tank
A tank inboard of a
longitudinal bulkhead.
CLEAN BALLAST
It means the ballast in the tank which is so clean
that when it is deballasted from the stationary ship
in clean and calm sea water it doesn’t show the
visible traces of oil in water or at shorelines.
SEGREGATED BALLAST TANK
The tank which is completely
designed for the ballast water or
cargoes other than oil and
noxious liquid substances as
mentioned in various annexes
and also they have their own
pumping and piping
arrangements.
Discharging criteria by machinery space
DISCHARGING INSIDE SPECIAL AREA
Any discharge into the sea from ships of 400GT or more than that will
not discharge any oil in the sea except under the following
satisfactory conditions:-

1.Ship should be proceeding in its route.

2.Oil mixture is filtered from the oil filtering equipment by meeting
the requirement of rule 14.7 of this annexure.
3.The oil content of the effluent without dilution should not be more
than 15ppm.
4.Oil mixtures should not originate from the cargo oil bilges on oil
tankers.
5.Oil mixtures in case of oil cargo tankers is not mixed with oil cargo
residues.
Discharging inside special area (continued)

In respect to Antarctic sea any discharge of oil or oil mixtures in

Antarctic sea shall be prohibited in this area.

Discharging in special area of ship having less than 400GT

1.Ship should be proceeding in its route.

2.The ship should have its operation equipment approved by the
administration which ensures that oil content of effluent without
dillution should not more be than 15ppm.
3.Oily mixture does not originate from cargo pump room bilges on
oil tankers.
4. Oily mixture in case of oil cargoes should not mixed with oil
cargo residues.
 General Requirement
1. There is no discharge criteria for the ship to discharge clean and
segregated ballast.

2.Oil residues which cannot be discharged into the sea in compliance

with the discharged criteria shall be retained on board for discharge by
the ship at the reception facility.

3.Whenever the visible traces of the oil found on the surface of the
water or under the surface of the earth the authorised parties or the
responsible group will investigate that whether rules has been followed
or violated under this act.

The main inspections are the

wind and sea conditions and the course and speed of the ship.
Inspections are mainly focused because to check whether the rule is
 DISCHARGING OF OILY MIXTURES FROM
CARGO SPACE AND BILGES
1.Tanker ship should be atleast 50NM away from the nearest land.

2.Tanker ship is en route.

3.The instanteneous rate of discharge of oil should not contain more than 30 liters per
NM.

4.The tanker has its own operational oil discharge monitoring and control system
(ODMCS) and a slope tank arrangement.

5.The total quantity of oil discharged into the sea should not be exceed more than the
following:-
a. If the formed residue is 1/15000 of the total cargo of the tanker{on or before the 31st
Dec 1979}.
b. If the formed residue is 1/30000 of the total cargo of new tankers{on or after 31 st
Dec 1979}.

6.The ship is not in special area.

 Provisions for not discharging ballast
water in the sea
DW>=20000
1.In rear voyages where the weather conditions
are so bad that in opinion of master for
stability reasons.
2.In exceptional cases where the particular
character of oil tanker makes it necessary to
carry ballast water in excess of the quantity
required provided that the operational
condition of oil tanker comes under
exceptional cases as established by the
Not discharging ballast water (continued)

DW>=20000
3.In the case of crude oil tankers the additional
ballast water is allowed under this regulation only if
such tankers have been crued oil washed before
departing from the unloaded port or terminal.
Operations and Equipment Manual
for COW(crude oil washing) system
1.Crude oil tanker of 20000DWT or more
than that delievered after the 1st june 1982.It
shall be fitted with cargo tank cleaning
system using crude oil washing.The
administration has to look within 1 year of the
tank that was first engaged for crude oil or by
the end of the 3rd
Voyage carrying crude oil suitable for
carrying crude oil washing whichever occurs
 Operational and equipment manual for
COW
(Crude Oil Washing) system (contd)
2. COW installation and associated equipment and arrangement washing
system shall comply with the requirements established by the
administration.Such requirements shall contain atleast all provisions of
specifications for the design,operation and control of crude oil washing
system adopted by the organization.If ship isn’t recognize with the para
1 of this regulations then if fitted with crude oil washing then also she
needs to be take care of the above specifications.

3. Every crude oil washing system shall required to be provide with

regulation 18.7 of this annex.
Every oil tanker which is
fitted with crude oil washing
system shall have
operational and equipment
manual.
 REQUIREMENT FOR PROVISIONS OF
OIL RECORD BOOK
Every oil tanker of 150 GT and ship of 400 or more than
400GT other than oil tanker shall be provided with oil record
book in machinery spaces.The oil record book part I whether
as a part of the ship’s official log-book or otherwise, shall be
in the form specified in appendix III to this Annex.

Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above shall be

provided with an Oil Record Book for cargo/ballast
operations. The Oil Record Book Part II, whether as a part of
the ship's official log-book or otherwise, shall be in the form
specified in appendix III to this Annex.
Oil record books has been classified into 2
categories:-

1.Part 1(Machinery space operations)

2.Part 2(Cargo/Ballast operations)
 OIL RECORD BOOK PART 1
Every oil tanker of 150 GT and ship of 400 or more than 400GT other
than oil tanker shall be provided with oil record book.
ENTRIES
Oil record book shall be completed on each occasion on a tank to tank
basis it shall be placed on the machinery spaces operations take place in
a ship.

1.Ballasting or cleaning of oil fuel tanks.

2.Discharge of dirty ballast and cleaning water from oil fuel tanks.
3.Collection and disposal of oil residues.
4.Discharge overboard or disposal otherwise of engine room bilge water.
5.Bunkering of fuel or bulk lubricating oil.
 OIL RECORD BOOK PART II
Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above
shall be provided with an Oil Record Book Part
II.
ENTRIES
1.Loading and unloading of oil cargo
2.Internal transfer of oil cargo during voyage.
3.Ballasting of cargo tanks and dedicated clean ballast tanks.
4.Cleaning of cargo tanks including crude oil washing.
5.Discharge of ballast tanks except for segregated ballast tank.
6.Discharging of water from slope tanks.
7.Closing of valves necessary for isolation of dedicated clean
ballast tanks from cargo and stripping lines from slope tank
discharge operations.
8.Disposal of Residues.
9.Close all applicable valves after slop tank discharge operations.
 PART-II (contd)
* The total quantity of oil and water which are
used to wash and stored in ballast shall be
recorded here(regulation of 34.6).

* Any failure of oil discharge monitoring and

control system shall be recorded in the oil
record book.
 Places of Oil Record Book
Oil record book shall be placed to be readily
available for the inspection of the oil record book on
any ship.

Also make a copy of the entries and master will

check the copy and mark it as a true copy. Any
master’s copy which will be used as the future
reference at various places. It also be saved for atleast
3 years for records after last entry has been made.
 SOPEP(Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plan)
1.SOPEP is a plan as per the MARPOL 73/78 of IMO under
Marine Environmental Provision Act .Under this all the ships
for 400GT and more and oil tankers of 150GT as oil is itself a
kind of cargo which doubles the risk of pollution.

2.The main incharge of SOPEP is Master and the subordinate

incharge is Chief Officer.

3.SOPEP describes the separate plan for the master, officers

and crew members regarding ways to tackle various oil spill
scenarios that can happen on the ship.

4.For oil tankers action plan differs completely according to

the cargo handling and cargo tanks containing huge amount of
oil.
 SOPEP (CONTD)
6.The action plan should contain the duties of
each crew members at the time of spill
including emergency muster and the actions.
7.SOPEP contains general information about
the ship and the owner of the ship.
8.Steps and procedures to contain discharge of
oil.
9.It contains the inventory of SOPEP material
provided for pollution prevention such as oil
absorbent pads, sawdust bags, booms etc.
 SOPEP (CONTD)
10.SOPEP includes drawing of fuel lines with
other oil lines onboard vessels with positioning of
vents, saves all trays.
11.The location of SOPEP locker and contents of
locker with a list of inventory.
12.Procedures for testing various plans described
by the authority.
13.Procedure to maintain the record as required by
the authority.
14.The general arrangement of the ship is also
listed in the SOPEP which includes the location of
all the oil tanks with capacity, content etc.
 SOPEP (CONTD)
15.Guidance to keep the record of the pollution incident
(for liability,compensation and insurance purpose).
16.Details of when and how the plan may be reviewed
again.
17.Authorities should be contacted and reported in the
case of the oil spill incident.
18.Authorities like port state control,oil clean up team etc
are to be notified.
SOPEP(CONTD)(CAPT ERROL FERNANDES)

MARPOL 73/78 regulation 26 states that every oil

tanker of 150grt and above and other ship of 400grt
and above shall carry onboard a Shiopboard Oil
pollution emergency plan approved by the
administration.

The purpose of the plan is to provide guidance to the

master and officers on the steps to be taken in the
event of the pollution incident and the likelihood of
one.
 SOPEP(CONTD)(CAPT ERROL FERNANDES)

The plan must be developed in accordance with the

guidelines issued by the IMO and written in the
working language of the master and officers.It must
contain atleast the following:-

1.The procedure to be followed by the master or other

incharge to report the oil pollution incident.

2.The list of authorities and persons should be called

and informed in the event of an oil pollution incident.
 SOPEP(CONTD)(CAPT ERROL FERNANDES)

3.A detailed descriptions of action to be taken immediately

by persons onboard to reduce or control the discharge of oil
following an incident.

4.The procedure and point of contact on the ship for

coordinating shipboard actions with national and local
authorities in combating the pollution incident.
 Equipment List
The list of equipments onboard ship are:-
1.Oil Dispersant
2.Saw Dust
3.Rags
4.Absorbent Pads
5.Oil Kit Bags
6.Scoops
7.Shovel
8.Brooms and Brushes
9.Buckets
10.Drums
11.Rubber Suits/boots/glubs
12.Wilden pump with Houses.
 Equipment List

1.Saw dust
2.Oil spill desparsant
3.cloth
4.cotton waste
5.gloves
6.brooms
7.buckets
8.empty oil barrels
 Oil Dispersant
It is a mixture of emulsifiers and solvents which
is used for the breaking of the oil into the small
droplets following an oil spill.
 SAW DUST
It is a byroduct or waste product of the wood
working operations.It is composed of fine particles
of wood.
 RAGS
A piece of old cloth which is torn from a larger
piece used typically for cleaning the things.
 Absorbent Pads
Absorbent pads are used for cleaning and maintenance of
the inevitable leaks,drips and spoils which takes place
onboard or outside the ship.
 Oil Kit Bags
It is used as a waste bags for collecting and
storing the wastes which will be deposited to
the shore when mariners reach ashore.
 Scoop
It is used for picking up solid and liquid residues
 Shovel
It is used for safe handling of oil spill onboard
ship.
 Brooms and Brushes
It is used for cleaning the decks and
cleaning the oil left on deck or on
leaked place.
 Buckets
It is used to
collect the
dirty water
and
unrequired
liquid
substances
onboard ship
 DRUMS

It is a drum
consists of all
the kits
required to be
used as an
equipment of
SOPEP.
 Rubber Suits/Boots/Glubs

These are the

dresses which are
used for the
working of
cleaning of oil
spills or any
leakage onboard
ship.
Wilden Pump with Houses
It is used for removing any remaining tank
washings prior to the tank being mopped and
dried.
 Annex II

Regulations for the

control of Noxious
Liquid Substances
carried in Bulk
The requirements of annex II apply to all ships
carrying noxious liquid substances in bulk.

the conditions for the discharge of any effluent

containing substances fall in those categories as
specified.

Each ship which is certified to carry NLS in bulk shall

be provided with Procedures and arrangement manual.

Each ship should be provided with cargo record book

which should be completed on tank to tank basis
whenever any operation with respect to noxious liquid
substances take place.
 CATEGORIES OF NOXIOUS LIQUID
SUBSTANCES
According to the regulation, It is classified into four categories:-

1. Categories”X”:-It contains mainly the noxious liquid substances which provides a

major hazard to the marine source and human health.It may be discharged from
the tank cleaning or discharge cleaning so we have to justify the prohibition of
discharge.

2. Categories”Y”:-It contains the Noxious Liquid Substances which provides hazard

to both marine source and human health as well as the pleasantness or
attractiveness of a place. It may be discharged from the deballasting or cargo
cleaning.

3. Categories”Z”:-It contains the Noxious Liquid Substances which are minor theft
for the marine source and human health therefore less restrictions on the quantity
and quality has been applied for discharging the same.

4. Other Substances(OS):-It contains the substances which don’t have any

restrictions on discharging it into the sea as they don’t provide any harm to the
marine environment.Mostly these are discharged from deballasting or tank
 Conditions for Discharging
1. Before starting the prewash procedure or discharging the
tank should be emptied upto the maximum extent in
accordance with the procedures as prescribed in the manual.

2. The carriage of substance which hasn’t been categorized

shall not discharged from the ballast water, Tank washings
or from other places which contain such residues shall be
prohibited to discharge into the sea.

3. The discharging of categorized noxious substances are

allowed only if they are made in full appliance as per the
requirements of the annexures.
PROCEDURES AND ARRANGEMENT
MANUALS
Each ship which carries Noxious Liquid Substances shall
carry Procedures and Arrangement manuals due to the
following reasons:-

1. It gives idea to the officer onboard ship that how to

discharge and what are the provisions and procedures to
do cargo handling, tank washing, ballasting and
deballasting.

2. This manual shall have a standard format which is used in

international voyages where the language used is other than
English, French or Spanish then we should have a copy of
that data in the one of these languages as per appendix 4 of
 CARGO RECORD BOOK
The cargo ship should be provided with a cargo record book
which should be completed on tank by tank basis whenever
any operations with respect to a noxious liquid substances
take place:-
1. Loading of cargo.
2. Internal transfer of cargo.
3. Unloading of cargo
4. Cleaning of ballast tank
5. Ballasting of cargo tank
6. Discharge of ballast from cargo tanks.
7. Disposal of residues to reception facilities.
8. Discharge into the sea or removal by ventilation of the
residues in accordance with regulation 5 of this Annex.
 SMPEP(SHIP MARINE POLLUTION
EMERGENCY PLAN)
1) Every ship of 150GT and more which carries Noxious Liquid Substances shall
carry SMPEP plan as per provided by the Administration.This requirement shall
apply to all such ships not later than 1st January 2003.

2) This plan shall be given with the guidelines developed by the organization and
written in a working language or the language which will be understood by the
masters or the working officers This plan consists of the following things:-
a) The procedures shall be followed by the master’s or the working incharge to
report the NLS pollution incident as per the article 8 and protocol 1 of the present
convention,based on the guidelines developed by the organization.
b) The list of authorities and persons to be contacted in the event of noxious
liquid substances pollution incident.
c) The action to be taken by the officers onboard ship to control or reduce the
NLS lekage which is provided with detailed explanation.

d.) The procedures and point of contact on the ship for coordinating shipboard
action with national and local authorities in combating the pollution.
3) In the case of ship’s carrying oil of annex 1 of the Convention such a plan may be combined
with the shipboard oil pollution emergency plan shall come under the title of Ship Marine
Pollution Emergency Plan.
 ANNEXURE III
Regulations for the
prevention of the pollution
by the harmful packaged
forms or in freight
containers portable tanks or
road and rail tank wagons
1) As per the annex empty receptacles, freight
containers and portable road and rail tank
wagons which have been used previously
for the carriage of the harmful substances
are treated as the harmful substances
themselves unless precautions has been
made to ensure that they contain no residue
that is hazardous to the marine
environment.
2) Packaging, Containers and Tanks should be
the adequate to minimize hazard to the marine
environment
Requirements for marking and Labelling
Packages,Freight Containers,Tanks and Wagons

1)Packages containing harmful substances shall be durably

marked with the correct technical name(trade name alone
shall not be used) and also marked or labelled to indicate that
the substance is a marine pollutant.Such identification shall
be supplemented where possible by other means, for
example,
by use of the relevant united nations number.

2)Packages containing small amount of harmful substances

may be exempted from the marking substances.
3)The markings shall be pasted or affixed on
these harmful substances packaging such that
they can still be identifiable on these packages if
they are immersed into the sea for minimum of 3
months of period.In considering suitable
markings and labelling,account shall be taken of
ther durability of the materials used and of the
surfaces of the package.
 ANNEX IV

Regulations for the

prevention of pollution by
sewage from the ship
 PROVISIONS FOR DISCHARGING OF
SEWAGE INTO THE SEA
1.
a.)The ship is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage
with minimum distance of 3NM away from the nearest land.

b.)The discharge of infected and not comminuted sewage is

atleast 12 NM away from the nearest land.

c.)Sewage from the holding tank should not discharge

instantaneously but at a moderate rate so thst ship is enroute
and proceeding atleast 4 knots.
d)The ship has inoperation an approved sewage treatment
plant which has been certified and whose test results are laid
down in the ISPP certificate and whose effluent does not
produce visible floating solids or discolouration of the water.

2.The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to ships

operating in the waters under the jurisdiction of a State and
visiting ships from other States while they are in these waters
and are discharging sewage in accordance with such less
stringent requirements as may be imposed by such State.

3.When the sewage is mixed with wastes or other water

wastes covered by other annexes of the MARPOL 73/78, the
requirements of those annexes shall be complied with in
addition to the requirements of this annex.
 ANNEX V

Regulation for the

prevention of
pollution by garbage
from the ship.
 GARBAGE
It means the all types of wastes
such as victual,domestic and
operational excluding fresh fish
and parts thereof,generated during
the normal operation of the ship
and liable to be disposed of
continuously or periodically except
those substances which are listed in
other annexures.
 DEFINITIONS
Special Areas:-It means the areas of sea water
where for recognized technical reasons in
relation to the oceanographical and ecological
condition to the particular character of it’s traffic
so the adoption of special mandatory methods
are required for the prevention of pollution by
garbage is required.
 Nearest Land
The term 'from the nearest land' means from the baseline from which the territorial sea
of the territory in question is established in accordance with international law, except
for the purposes of the present Convention 'from the nearest land' off the north-eastern
coast of Australia shall mean from a line drawn from a point on the coast of Australia
in:

latitude 11°00' S, longitude 142°08' E

to a point in latitude 10°35' S, longitude 141°55' E
thence to a point latitude 10°00' S, longitude 142°00' E
thence to a point latitude 9°10' S, longitude 143°52' E
thence to a point latitude 9°00' S, longitude 144°30' E
thence to a point latitude 10°41' S, longitude 145°00' E
thence to a point latitude 13°00' S, longitude 145°00' E
thence to a point latitude 15°00' S, longitude 146°00' E
thence to a point latitude 17°30' S, longitude 147°00' E
thence to a point latitude 21°00' S, longitude 152°55' E
thence to a point latitude 24°30' S, longitude 154°00' E
thence to a point on the coast of Australia in latitude 24°42' S, longitude 153°15' E.
• Unless specified
expressfully, the provisions
shall be applied to all ships.

• The disposal into the sea of

all plastics is prohibited.
 Entries for Garbage Record
Book
Entries in the Garbage Record Book shall be made on each of the following occasions:
(a). When garbage is discharged into the sea:
(i). Date and time of discharge
(ii). Position of the ship (latitude and longitude). Note for cargo residue discharges,
include discharge start and stop positions.
(iii). Category of garbage discharged
(iv). Estimated amount discharged for each category in m3
(v). Signature of the officer in charge of the operation.
(b). When garbage is discharged to reception facilities ashore or to other ships:
(i). Date and time of discharge
(ii). Port or facility, or name of ship
(iii). Category of garbage discharged
(iv). Estimated amount discharged for each category in m3
(v). Signature of the officer in charge of the operation.
(c). When garbage is incinerated:
(i). Date and time of start and stop of incineration
(ii). Position of the ship (latitude and longitude)
(iii). Estimated amount incinerated in m3
(iv). Signature of the officer in charge of the operation.
(d). Accidental or other exceptional discharges of garbage:
(i). Time of occurrence
(ii). Port or position of the ship at time of occurrence
(iii). Estimated amount and category of garbage
(iv). Circumstances of disposal, escape or loss, the reason
therefor and general remarks.
 OUTLINE KNOWLEDGE OF GARBAGE
MANAGEMENT PLAN
Every ship of 400GRT and more every ship which is
certified to carry 15 persons onboard shall have a
garbage management plan should :-

1.Designate the person responsible for carrying out

the plan.

2.be in working language of the crew members.

3. Provide written procedures for
collection,storing,processing and disposal of
garbage

4.Contain written procedures for the equipment

to be used onboard.
 ANNEX VI
MARPOL Annex VI, first adopted in 1997, limits the main air pollutants
contained in ships exhaust gas, including sulphur oxides (SOx) and
nitrous oxides (NOx), and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone
depleting substances (ODS). MARPOL Annex VI also regulates
shipboard incineration, and the emissions of volatile organic compounds
(VOC) from tankers.

Following entry into force of MARPOL Annex VI on 19 May 2005, the

Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at its 53rd session
(July 2005), agreed to revise MARPOL Annex VI with the aim of
significantly strengthening the emission limits in light of technological
improvements and implementation experience. As a result of three years
examination, MEPC 58 (October 2008) adopted the revised MARPOL
Annex VI and the associated NOx Technical Code 2008, which entered
into force on 1 July 2010.
 Definitions

1.Emissions:-The release of substances which are to

be controlled by this annex from ships into the
atmosphere and at sea.

2.Ozone depleting substances:-These are the

substances which deplete ozone layer and includes
halons and CFCs.
3.Ship incinerator:-It is a shipboard facility which is designed
for the primary purpose of incineration of waste or other
matter which are produced during the normal operation of the
ship.

4.Sludge oil:-It means sludge from fuel or lubricating oil

seperators.Waste lubricating oil from main or auxiullary
machinery or waste oil from bilge water seperators,oil
filtering equipment or drip trays.
5.SOx emission control area(SECA):-It means an area where
the adoption of special mandatory measures for SOx
emissions from ships is required to prevent,reduce,
or control air pollution from SOx and its attendant adverse
effects on land and sea areas.
 Control of SOx(Reg14)
1. The sulphur content of any fuel oil should not
exceed 4.5% m/m.(This is to be reduced to 3.5% on
and after1/1/2012 and to 0.5% on or after 1/1/2020
subject to availability of such fuel by that time
otherwise by 2025).

2.Thr worldwide average sulphur content of residual

fuel oil supplied for use onboard ship shall be
monitored using guidelines giv by IMO.
Within SOx emission control area
1.The sulphur content of any fuel used onboard should not
exceed 1.5% m/m.(This is to be reduced to 1.0% on and after
1/1/2010 and to 0.1% on and after 1/1/2015).\

2.An exhaust gas cleaning system or other technical gas

system is applied to reduce the total emission of the sulphur
from ships including auxillary and main propulsion engines
to <6.0gSOx/kWh.Waste streams from such equipment shall
not be discharged into enclosed ports,harbours or estuaries
unless it can be thoroughly documented by the ship that such
waste streams have no adverse impact on eosystem of such
areas.
3. Ship using seperate fuel oil shall allow sufficient time for
the fuel oil service system to be fully flushed to all fuels
exceeding 1.5% m/m sulphur content before entering into a
SOx emission control area.The volume of low sulphur oils as
well as the date,time,position of the ship when the fuel change
over is completed shall be recorded in the log book.

4.Ship entering a SOx emission control area are exempted

from the above regulations for 12 months after the entry into
force on this annex or after the designation of the specific
SOx emission control area.
The baltic sea is a SOx emission control area.Other areas may
be designated as the SOx emission control areas provided they
send proposal to IMO which must include:-

a. clear delination of the proposed area along with a reference

chart on which the area is marked.

b. A description of land and sea areas at risk from SOx

emissions.

c. An assessment of the adverse impact of air pollution in the

above areas,from ships.It must include the impact on territorial
and aquatic ecosystems,areas of natural productivity,critical
habitats,water quality,human health and areas of cultural
habitats,water quality,human health and areas of cultural and
scientific significance,if applicable.
 ANTI FOULING PAINTS
Anti-fouling paints are used to coat the bottoms of ships to prevent sealife such as algae
and molluscs attaching themselves to the hull – thereby slowing down the ship and
increasing fuel consumption.

The new Convention defines “anti-fouling systems” as “a coating, paint, surface

treatment, surface or device that is used on a ship to control or prevent attachment of
unwanted organisms”.

In the early days of sailing ships, lime and later arsenic were used to coat ships' hulls,
until the modern chemicals industry developed effective anti-fouling paints using
metallic compounds.

These compounds slowly "leach" into the sea water, killing barnacles and other marine
life that have attached to the ship. But the studies have shown that these compounds
persist in the water, killing sealife, harming the environment and possibly entering the
food chain. One of the most effective anti-fouling paints, developed in the 1960s,
contains the organotin tributylin (TBT), which has been proven to cause deformations
in oysters and sex changes in whelks.
In November 1999, IMO adopted an Assembly
resolution that called on the MEPC to develop
an instrument, legally binding throughout the
world, to address the harmful effects of anti-
fouling systems used on ships. The resolution
called for a global prohibition on the application
of organotin compounds which act as biocides in
anti-fouling systems on ships by 1 January 2003,
and a complete prohibition by 1 January 2008.
 CONVENTION ON ANTI
FOULING SYSTEM
The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling
Systems on Ships, which was adopted on 5 October 2001, will prohibit
the use of harmful organotin compounds in anti-fouling paints used on
ships and will establish a mechanism to prevent the potential future use
of other harmful substances in anti-fouling systems. The Convention
entered into force on 17 September 2008.

Under the terms of the Convention, Parties to the Convention are

required to prohibit and/or restrict the use of harmful anti-fouling
systems on ships flying their flag, as well as ships not entitled to fly their
flag but which operate under their authority and all ships that enter a
port, shipyard or offshore terminal of a Party.
PROVISIONS UNDER MARPOL ANNEXE - VI DEALS WITH MEASURES TAKEN FOR
PREVENTION OF AIR POLLUTION FROM SHIPS

SOURCES OF EMISSION OF HARMFUL GASES FROM SHIPS WHICH ARE COVERED

UNDERTHIS ANNEX WILL INCLUDE,OZONE DEPLETING SUBSTANCES (ODS); FOR
E.G.,REFRIGERANT GASES (WHICH CONTAIN CFCS) AND HALONS(FIRE FIGHTING
SYSTEMS).

GASES WHICH MAY CAUSE 'ACID RAIN'; FOR E.G., SOX

(ORIGINATING FROM THE SULPHUR CONTENT OF MAIN ENGINE
FUEL) AND NOX (ORIGINATING DUE TO MIXING UP OF N 2 AND
O 2 AT HIGH TEMPERATURES OF THE ENGINE EXHAUST)
VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS); FOR E.G.,
EMISSION OF TANK ATMOSPHERE FROM TANKERS DURING
LOADING EXHAUST GASES FROM 'SHIPBOARD INCINERATORS

FEW ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS ARE

DESIGNATED AS 'EMISSION CONTROLAREAS' (ECAS) AND
WHILE WITHIN THESE AREAS SHIPS ARE ALLOWED TO
BURN ONLY FUEL WITH MUCH LOWER SULPHUR CONTENT
 LIST OF ECA

1.Baltic Sea (Sox),(NOx)

2.North Sea (SOx),(NOx)
3.North American ECA(SOx and PM)
(NOx)
4.United States Caribbean Sea ECA (SOx
and PM) (NOx).
1.11 'THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE CONTROL
AND MANAGEMENT OF Ships’ BALLAST WATER
AND SEDIMENTS' REQUIRES THAT ALL SHIPS ARE REQUIRED
TO HAVE ON BOARD AND IMPLEMENT A 'BALLAST WATER
MANAGEMENT PLAN' WHICH IS APPROVED BY THE
ADMINISTRATION.

1.12 THIS REGULATION IS AIMED AT PREVENTING THE

TRANSFER AND SPREAD OF HARMFUL AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AND PATHOGENS FROM ONE PART OF THE WORLD TO OTHER
THROUGH SHIP'S BALLAST WATER.

1.13 UNDER THIS REGULATION, IT IS REQUIRED THAT SHIPS

MUST HAVE A 'BALLAST WATER RECORD BOOK'
WHICH IS USED FOR RECORDING THE LOCATION, DATE AND
TIME AT WHICH BALLAST WATER IS TAKEN ON BOARD
AND DISCHARGED BACK INTO THE SEA.
1.14 UNDER THIS REGULATION, IF IT IS DECIDED TO
DO 'BALLAST WATER EXCHANGE' AT SEA, IT SHOULD
BE DONE PREFERABLY AT DISTANCES > 200 NM
FROM NEAREST LAND AND IN DEPTHS > 200 M IF
ABOVE NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS
ALONG SHIP'S ROUTE THEN ATLEAST AT DISTANCES
NOT LESS THAN 50 NM FROM NEAREST LAND AND IN
DEPTHS > 200 M.

1.15 "INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE

CONTROL OF HARMFUL ANTI-FOULING SYSTEMS ON
SHIPS" REQUIRES THAT SHIPS SHALL NOT ANYMORE
USE ANTI-FOULING PAINTS WHICH CONTAINS
'ORGANO-TIN' (TIN BASED COMPOUNDS)WHICH IS
CAUSING HARM TO MARINE LIFE AND WHICH CAN
ENTER THE HUMAN FOOD CHAIN.