Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4. the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 30 litres per nautical
mile;
5. the total quantity of oil discharged into the sea does not exceed for tankers delivered on or
before 31 December 1979,
...
1/15,000 of the total quantity of the particular cargo
...
and
for tankers delivered after 31 December 1979,
...
1/30,000 of the total quantity of the
; and
6. the tanker has in operation an oil discharge monitoring and control system and a slop tank
arrangement
...
.
9
Second, to reduce the amount of dirty bilge water discharged into the ocean, this
Annex re-institutionalised the load on top (LOT) system which had been developed
by the oil industry in the 1960s. This system requires a vessel to transfer dirty
ballast water into a special slop tank during ballast voyages. After some days the oil
flows up, the clean water under the oil is pumped out and new cargo oil is loaded on
top of the residue oil in the next voyage.
10
For proper functioning of this process,
Annex-I requires oil tankers to be equipped with oil-discharge monitoring and
control systems.
11
Third are the changes related to segregated ballast tanks (SBT). Under the
current provision, the Annex makes it mandatory for all tankers of over 20 thousand
Deadweight tonnage (DWT) delivered after 1982 to have SBTs suitable to operate
safely on ballast voyage without needing to carry ballast water in oil cargo tanks.
12
Moreover, it requires all newly built tankers to meet a range of stability damage
requirements for survival of the oil cargo in collision incidents.
13
The 1978 Protocol
to the MARPOL 73/78 Convention, however, made two significant changes to
combat oil pollution from vessels. The first was the requirement of SBT on all new
tankers of 20,000 DWT or more. These tanks now have to be located in a way so
that they can protect cargo tanks in incidents of collision.
14
The second was the institutionalisation of the crude oil washing system (COW)
technique developed by the oil industries in the 1970s as an alternative to SBT by
the oil industry. The COW system involves washing tanks with oil instead of
water.
15
The Annex utilised the COW on all new tankers of over 20,000 DWT.
16
Regulation 37 of this Annex obligates each ship to carry on board a Shipboard
Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) approved by the Administration. This plan
shall be prepared based on guidelines developed by IMO, which IMO has already
particular cargo
...
9
last
accessed on 12 July 2014 (hereinafter Annex I: Prevention of pollution by oil).
10
IMO, MARPOL73-78: Brief history,
http://www.imo.org
, last accessed on 12 July 2014.
11
MARPOL 73/78, Annex I, regs. 29 to 30.
12
MARPOL 73/78, Annex-I, reg. 18.
13
IMO, above note 10.
14
Ibid and MARPOL 73/78, Annex-I, reg. 18.
15
Ibid and MARPOL 73/78, Annex-I, regs.18 (4) (7), 33 and 35.
16
Ibid.
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