What is MARPOL 73/78 and Its Annexes ?

What is MARPOL 73/78 and Its Annexes ?

• Overview:

Merchant shipping is going on from the ages but before 1973 there was no regulation regarding the pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping wastes, oil and air pollution, that is why International Maritime Organization (IMO) felt a need to minimise the pollution of the oceans and seas, and they came up with MARPOL in 1973.

The MARPOL was adopted on 2nd November 1973. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted as a response to a number of tanker accidents happened in 1976–1977. The current MARPOL 73/78 is a combination of 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol, which entered into force on 2 October 1983.

The MARPOL 73/78 Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships that happens because of following two types,

1. Accidental pollution.

2. Pollution from routine operations of the ships.

• MARPOL Annexes :

There are six annexes in MARPOL 73/78. All these annexes have Special Areas where strict regulations on operational discharges are laid out and all the ships passing through these special areas needs to follow them vigilantly.

MARPOL Annex Number MARPOL Annex Name

Annex I Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil

Annex II Regulations for the Control of. Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk.

Annex III Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea 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 :

Annex 1 entered into force on 2nd October 1983.

This annxe covers prevention of pollution by oil from operational measures as well as from accidental discharges.

As per the 1992 amendments, it is mandatory for new oil tankers to have double hulls.

The Annex I is divided into two parts. The first part is about Engine Room waste. The bilge water generated onboard can be pumped overboard provided that Oily Water Separator (OWS) is working and the discharge should not contain more than 15 PPM of oil traces. To operate OWS the ship should be enroute and at least 12 nautical miles away from the nearest land. In case the OWS is not operational the bilge water can be given to the Shore Reception Facilities.

The second part of the Annex I tells about cleaning the cargo areas and tanks. To pump the cargo tank cleaning residues overboard ODME (Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment ) is used. The criteria for pumping through ODME is, the tanker must be 50 nautical miles away from land. The instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 30 litres per nautical mile. The total quantity of discharge must not exceed 1/30000 of the total quantity of the residue formed cargo.

The oil record book is another integral part of MARPOL Annex I. There will be two oil record books on a tanker ship, Part 1 is for Machinery Spaces (Engine Room) and Chief Engineer is responsible for its compliance. Part 2 is for Cargo Residues (Deck) and Chief Officer is responsible for its compliance.

• Annex II – Regulations for the Control of. Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk :

Annex II entered into force on 2nd October 1983.

This annex tells about the discharge criteria and measures for the control of pollution by noxious liquid substances carried in bulk.

About 250 substances were evaluated and included in this Convention. The discharge of their residues is allowed only to reception facilities until certain concentrations and conditions are complied with.

Discharge of residues containing pollutants is not permitted within 12 nautical miles of the nearest land. Stricter restrictions are stated for special areas.

• Annex III – Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form :

Annex III entered into force on 1st July 1992.

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

According to this Annex, harmful substances are those substances which are stated as marine pollutants in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) or which meet the criteria in the Appendix of Annex III.

• Annex IV – Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships :

Annex IV entered into force on 27th September 2003.

This annex covers requirements to control pollution of the sea by sewage. The discharge of sewage into the sea is prohibited, except when the ship has a class 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. If the sewage is not comminuted or disinfected it should be discharged at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.

• Annex V – Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships :

Annex V entered into force on 31st December 1988.

This annex gives information about different types of garbage and specifies the distances from land and the manner in which they may be disposed of.

Annex V completely bans the disposal of all forms of plastic into the sea.

• Annex VI – Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships :

Annex VI entered into force on 19th May 2005.

Annex VI sets limits on SOx and NOx emissions from ship exhausts and bans deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances.

As of 1 January 2020, new emission standards are enforced for fuel oil used by ships. The global sulphur limit (outside SECA’s) changed from an allowed 3.5% sulphur in marine fuels to 0.5%. This will significantly improve the air quality in many populated coastal and port areas, which will prevent early deaths each year, and many more cases of asthma in these regions and cities.

Bunker fuels used in the Special areas must have a sulpher content level of less than 0.1%.