Question 1

Your vessel has a fuel spill into harbour water. What are the immediate obligations?

Accepted Answer

Stop the leak and contain safely; promptly report to harbour and relevant coastal authorities; follow applicable flag-state reporting requirements; make required records and cooperate with responders.. Stop the source and contain the spill as far as safely practicable, using absorbents and available booms. Promptly notify the harbour authority and report to the relevant coastal authority through the prescribed reporting arrangements. In the UK, HM Coastguard receives maritime pollution reports. Follow applicable local rules, flag-state requirements and the vessel's pollution emergency procedures. MARPOL reporting requirements do not establish a general one-litre exemption. Record the incident and response, using the Oil Record Book where required: MARPOL Annex I requires Part I for oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above and other ships of 400 gross tonnage and above. Additional national requirements may apply. Cooperate with pollution response authorities. Reporting duties and any criminal liability depend on the applicable legislation; separate immediate reports to both the MCA and flag state are not a general requirement for every vessel and jurisdiction.

Question 2

You manually discharge machinery-space bilge water to sea through the 15 ppm oily water separator. What entries are required in the Oil Record Book?

Accepted Answer

Record the date, quantity discharged, start and stop times, disposal method and starting and finishing positions in ORB Part I, with the responsible officer’s signature.. MARPOL Annex I Regulation 17 and Oil Record Book Part I section D require entries for non-automatic discharge or disposal of machinery-space bilge water. Record the date, quantity discharged or disposed of in cubic metres, start and stop times, and method of discharge or disposal. For discharge to sea through 15 ppm equipment, record the ship’s starting and finishing positions. Each completed operation must be signed by the officer or officers in charge, and each completed page by the master. A numerical ppm reading, alarm status and pre-discharge bilge quantity are not standard required particulars for this section D entry. ORB entries may be checked against other records, but discrepancies alone do not establish an illegal discharge.

Question 3

Under MARPOL Annex I, in what circumstances is a vessel prohibited from discharging even treated bilge water (≤15ppm) overboard?

Accepted Answer

In the Antarctic area, or when the ship is not proceeding en route, even if the oil content is at or below 15 ppm.. MARPOL Annex I Regulation 15 prohibits discharge of oil or oily mixtures from ships in the Antarctic area. Elsewhere, permitted machinery-space bilge discharge requires the ship to be proceeding en route and to meet the applicable treatment, equipment and other discharge conditions, including an oil content not exceeding 15 ppm without dilution. Regulation 15 does not impose a general 12 nm limit for this discharge. Compliant discharge is permitted in other Annex I Special Areas, including the Mediterranean, subject to the applicable conditions. Being underway is not sufficient by itself to establish that a ship is proceeding en route. Visible traces of oil prompt investigation of a possible violation rather than constituting the automatic prohibition stated in the original answer. Additional restrictions under other applicable rules, including polar, coastal, port or flag-state requirements, must also be checked.

MARPOL Annex I, questions and explanations

Your vessel has a fuel spill into harbour water. What are the immediate obligations?

You manually discharge machinery-space bilge water to sea through the 15 ppm oily water separator. What entries are required in the Oil Record Book?

Under MARPOL Annex I, in what circumstances is a vessel prohibited from discharging even treated bilge water (≤15ppm) overboard?

Practise this properly

MARPOL Annex I, questions and explanations

Questions

Your vessel has a fuel spill into harbour water. What are the immediate obligations?

You manually discharge machinery-space bilge water to sea through the 15 ppm oily water separator. What entries are required in the Oil Record Book?

Under MARPOL Annex I, in what circumstances is a vessel prohibited from discharging even treated bilge water (≤15ppm) overboard?

Practise this properly