MARPOL

MARINE POLLUTION
MARPOL or Maritime Pollution is formerly
known as International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973.

It is now known as Maritime Pollution since it

was modified in 1978.
MARPOL 73/78 is one of the most important international
marine environmental conventions It was developed by
the International Maritime Organization in an effort to
minimize pollution of the oceans and seas,
including dumping, oil and air pollution. The objective of
this convention is to preserve the marine environment in
an attempt to completely eliminate pollution by oil and
other harmful substances and to minimize accidental
spillage of such substances.
All ships flagged under countries that are
signatories to MARPOL are subject to its
requirements, regardless of where they sail
and member nations are responsible for
vessels registered under their respective
nationalities.
MARPOL includes six specific regulations
each dealing with oil pollution or other
noxious or harmful liquids or substances
carried by ship, and the pollution caused
by ships, as opposed to their cargo, such as
ship garbage, sewage and air pollution.
 MARPOL is not just designed to
safeguard against
accidental pollution but also the day-
to-day pollution caused by ships in
transit, called operational pollution.
 MARPOL GENERAL OBLIGATIONS AND
RIGHTS

GENERAL OBLIGATIONS:
To ensure that parties to MARPOL convention with
ships flying their flag do not discharge wastes into
the sea
To ensure that even provisions on sanitized and
eco-friendly port reception facilities are also
implemented
 MARPOL GENERAL OBLIGATIONS AND
RIGHTS

General rights:
- Sea to be protected from pollution
- Authority can prosecute guilty parties
- To insist the principle of not more
favourable treatment observance
 UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE

Control of disposals anywhere

In as far as is possible and practicable, all garbage
and other wastes should be retained on board for
disposal at adequate shore reception facilities. If
this is not possible, the disposal into the sea
should be made as far as practicable from the
nearest land and, in no case, at a distance below
the range stipulated by the Convention.
SIX MARITIME POLLUTION
ANNEXES
Annex I OIL
Annex II Noxious Substances in Bulk
Annex III Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in
Package
Annex IV Sewage from Ships
Annex V Garbage from Ships
Annex VI Air Pollution from Ships
 ANNEX I : OIL
Designed to minimize pollution of the seas, from
ships.

OBJECTIVE: to preserve the marine environment

through the complete elimination of pollution by oil
and other harmful substances and the minimization of
accidental discharge of such substances.
EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL IN ALASKA (USA)

EVEN IF MORE THAN 25 YEARS HAD ALREADY PASSED, OIL FROM EXXON
VALDEZ STILL REMAINS A FEW INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE ON MANY OF
ALASKAS BEACHES.
CAN OIL BE DISCHARGED AT
SEA?
YES! OIL CAN BE DISCHARGED AT SEA
BUT
MARPOL allows only a small amount
(1/15,000 of the total cargo carrying
capacity of the vessel) and at a rate not to
exceed 60 litres per mile travelled by the
ship and, in any event, never within 50
miles of the nearest land.
IN OTHER WORDS
A SHIP CAN DISCHARGE OIL AT SEA BUT ONLY OF A
SMALL AMOUNT:

60 LITERS 1 MILE TRAVELLED BY SHIP

BUT NEVER WHEN THE NEAREST ISLAND IS

WITHIN 50 MILES.
 ANNEX II: NOXIOUS SUBSTANCES IN BULK
It details the discharge criteria for the elimination of pollution by noxious
liquid substances carried in large quantities. It divides substances into
and introduces detailed operational standards and measures. The
discharge of pollutants is allowed only to reception facilities with certain
concentrations and conditions. No matter what, no discharge of residues
containing pollutants is permitted within 12 miles of the nearest land.

OBJECTIVE: To regulate the discharge of pollution by noxious substances

in large quantities through its operational standards and measures which
ships are required to follow.
 ANNEX III : HARMFUL SUBSTANCES CARRIED
BY SEA IN PACKAGED FORM
It contains general requirements for the standards on packing,
marking, labelling, documentation, stowage, quantity
limitations, exceptions and notifications for preventing
pollution by noxious substances.

It is in line with the procedures detailed in the International

Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code, which has been
expanded to include marine pollutants.
 ANNEX IV: SEWAGE

It introduces requirements to control

pollution of the sea by sewage from
ships.

OBJECTIVE: to control pollution from

sewage of ships.
 SEWAGE
Sewage are waste materials such
as human urine and feces that are
carried away from sanitary
facilities in a system of pipes.
CAN SEWAGE BE DUMPED AT
SEA?
YES! SEWAGE CAN BE DUMPED AT SEA BUT.

With an approved sewage

dumping plan and system at a
distance of more than three (3)
nautical miles from the nearest
land.
 ANNEX V: GARBAGE FROM SHIPS
It specifies the distances from land in which
materials may be disposed of and subdivides
different types of garbage and marine debris.

PLASTIC DUMPING INTO THE OCEAN IS

TOTALLY BANNED BY THIS ANNEX.
ANNEX VI: AIR POLLUTION FROM SHIPS
It introduces requirements to regulate
the air pollution being emitted by ships,
including the emission of ozone-depleting
substances, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx),
Sulphur Oxides (SOx), Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOCs) and shipboard
incineration.
It also establishes requirements for
reception facilities for wastes from
exhaust gas cleaning systems,
incinerators, fuel oil quality, for off-shore
platforms and drilling rigs and for the
establishment of SOx Emission Control
Areas
 NOTEWORTHY
MARPOL includes a total ban imposed on the dumping of
any forms of plastic into the sea.
MARPOL requires ships to carry certificates of compliance
with MARPOL failing which, the ship may be detained and
inspected.
MARPOL is not the begin-all, end-all of pollution from ships
as almost all states supplement MARPOL with strict laws of
their own which heavily penalize the pollution of their
coastal waters or other such territorial seas
Over 161 states have signed onto MARPOL 73/78 including
the U.S. by the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships