Convention as ratified in 1973 and amended in 1978. Among other things, it provides regulation for improving maritime safety and the prevention of sea and land pollution from ships. The Federation benefited from a number of regional training workshops provided under this convention. The focal point for this convention is the St. Christopher Air and Sea Port Authority. (More details provided in the Attachment)
Introduction
The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. It is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years.
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO and covered pollution by oil, chemicals, harmful substances in packaged form, sewage and garbage. The Protocol of 1978 relating to the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (1978 MARPOL Protocol) was adopted at a Conference on Tanker Safety and Pollution Prevention in February 1978 held in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977. (Measures relating to tanker design and operation were also incorporated into a Protocol of 1978 relating to the 1974 Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974).
As the 1973 MARPOL Convention had not yet entered into force, the 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention. The combined instrument is referred to as the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78), and it entered into force on 2 October 1983 (Annexes I and II).
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:
Annex I - Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil
Entry into force: 2 October 1983
The 1973 Convention maintained the oil discharge criteria prescribed in the 1969 amendments to the 1954 Oil Pollution Convention, without substantial changes, namely the Operational discharges of oil from tankers are allowed only when specific conditions are met.
A new and important feature of the 1973 Convention was the concept of special areas which are considered to be so vulnerable to pollution by oil that oil discharges within them have been completely prohibited, with minor and well defined exceptions. The 1973 Convention identified the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Baltic Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulfs area as special areas. All oil carrying ships are required to be capable of operating the method of retaining oily wastes on board through the load on top system or for discharge to shore reception facilities.
The Protocol of 1978 made a number of changes to Annex I of the parent convention. Segregated ballast tanks (SBT) are required on all new tankers of 20,000 dwt and above (in the parent convention SBTs were only required on new tankers of 70,000 dwt and above). The Protocol also required SBTs to be protectively located, that is, they must be positioned in such a way that they will help protect the cargo tanks in the event of a collision or grounding. Drainage and discharge arrangements were also altered in the Protocol, regulations for improved stripping systems were introduced.
Some oil tankers operate solely in specific trades between ports which are provided with adequate reception facilities. Some others do not use water as ballast. the TSPP Conference recognized that such ships should not be subject to all MARPOL requirements and they were consequently exempted from the SBT, COW and CBT requirements. It is generally recognized that the effectiveness of international conventions depends upon the degree to which they are obeyed and this in turn depends largely upon the extent to which they are enforced. The 1978 Protocol to MARPOL therefore introduced stricter regulations for the survey and certification of ships.
The 1992 amendments to Annex I made it mandatory for new oil tankers to have double hulls and it brought in a phase-in schedule for existing tankers to fit double hulls.
Annex II - Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk
Entry into force: 6 April 1987
Annex II 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. More stringent restrictions applied to the Baltic and Black Sea areas.
Annex III - Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form
Entry into force: 1 July 1992
The first of the convention's optional annexes. States ratifying the Convention must accept Annexes I and II but can choose not to accept the other three - hence they have taken much longer to enter into force.
Annex III contains general requirements for the issuing of detailed standards on packing, marking, labelling, documentation, stowage, quantity limitations, exceptions and notifications for preventing pollution by harmful substances.
The International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code has, since 1991, included marine pollutants.
Annex IV - Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships (not yet in force)
Entry into force: 12 months after being ratified by 15 States whose combined fleets of merchant shipping constitute at least 50% of the world fleet.
Status: The Annex has been accepted by 75 States whose fleets represent 43.11 percent of world tonnage
The second of the optional Annexes, Annex IV contains requirements to control pollution of the sea by sewage.
Annex V - Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships
Entry into force: 31 December 1988
This deals with different types of garbage and specifies the distances from land and the manner in which they may be disposed of. The requirements are much stricter in a number of special areas but perhaps the most important feature of the Annex is the complete ban imposed on the dumping into the sea of all forms of plastic.
Annex VI - Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships (adopted September 1997 - not yet in force)
Adopted September 1997
Entry into force: 12 months after being ratified by 15 States whose combined fleets of merchant shipping constitute at least 50% of the world fleet.
States Parties must accept Annexes I and II, but the other Annexes are voluntary. Other more recent amendments apply.
