MARPOL 73/78: Ship Pollution Prevention

• The lecture discusses pollution prevention from ships, focusing on MARPOL 1973.

Background of MARPOL

• MARPOL 73/78, or the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, ranks among the most significant international marine environmental conventions.
• The IMO developed it to minimize ocean and sea pollution, covering dumping, oil, and air pollution.
• The convention aims to completely eliminate marine environment pollution by oil and other harmful substances, and to minimize accidental spillage.
• The original MARPOL was signed on February 17, 1973, and the Convention and the 1978 Protocol, became effective on October 2, 1983
• As of January 2018, 156 states are parties to the convention, representing 99.42% of the world's shipping tonnage.
• All ships flagged under MARPOL signatory countries must adhere to its requirements, irrespective of their location.

MARPOL Objectives

• It is the first comprehensive anti-pollution agreement addressing ship-borne oil, other chemicals, harmful substances, garbage, sewage, and air pollutants.
• MARPOL is concerned with jurisdiction, inspection, and enforcement.
• The objectives are to completely eliminate intentional marine environment pollution by oil and other harmful substances, and minimize the accidental discharge of such substances.
• There were tanker accidents from 1976-1977, and the Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents
• The 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention because the 1973 MARPOL Convention had not yet entered into force.
• The combined instrument EIF happened on October 2 1983.
• Amendments updated MARPOL over the years.
• A Protocol was adopted to amend the Convention and a new Annex VI was added in 1997, becoming effective on May 19, 2005.
• The Convention includes regulations to prevent and minimize pollution, both accidental and from routine ship operations.
• Currently, there are six technical Annexes.

MARPOL 73/78 Annexes

• The MARPOL 73/78 Convention regulates discharges from ships at sea and comprises 6 annexes:
• Annex I: Prevention of pollution by oil (11 chapters, 47 Regulations)
• Annex II: Control of pollution by noxious liquid substances (10 Chapters, 22 Regulations)
• Annex III: Prevention of pollution by harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form (2 Chapters, 11 Regulations)
• Annex IV: Prevention of pollution by sewage from ships (7 Chapters, 18 Regulations)
• Annex V: Prevention of pollution by garbage from ships (3 Chapters, 14 Regulations)
• Annex VI: Prevention of air pollution from ships (5 chapters, 25 Regulations)

Details of the Annexes

• Annex 1 covers prevention of pollution by oil from operational measures as well as accidental discharges.
• 1992 amendments made it mandatory for new oil tankers to have double hulls and implemented a phase-in schedule for existing tankers to fit double hulls.
• Annex 2 details discharge criteria and measures for controlling pollution by noxious liquid substances carried in bulk.
• Approximately 250 substances have been evaluated and included in the list appended to the Convention.
• The discharge of these substances' residues is permitted only to reception facilities under specific concentration and condition levels. Residues containing noxious substances are not allowed within 12 miles of the nearest land.
• Annex 3 contains the standards for packing, marking, labeling, documentation, stowage, quantity limits, exceptions, and notifications.
• Harmful substances are those identified as marine pollutants in the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code), or which meet the criteria in the Appendix of Annex III.
• Annex 4 contains requirements to control the sea pollution by sewage, and the discharge of sewage into the sea is prohibited.
• An exception to the discharge prohibition is for ships with an approved sewage treatment plant in operation or discharging comminuted, disinfected sewage more than three nautical miles from land. Sewage that is not comminuted or disinfected and has to be discharged at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land.
• Annex 5 deals with different types of garbage, specifies disposal distances from land, and prescribes disposal methods.
• The most important aspect of the Annex bans all forms of plastics from being disposed of into the sea.
• Annex 6 sets restrictions on sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and particulate matter emissions from ship exhausts.
• Annex 6 prohibits ozone-depleting substances deliberately be emitted.
• Annex 6 covers technical and operational energy efficiency measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

Special Areas in MARPOL

• It defines certain sea areas where specific mandatory methods are adopted to prevent sea pollution due to technical reasons related to their oceanographical and ecological condition and sea traffic.
• Under the Convention, special areas have a higher level of protection than other sea areas.
• As per MEPC.1/Circ.778, there are 778 listed special areas and particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSAs) under MARPOL, as defined by the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC).
• PSSAs are areas needing special protection through IMO action, recognized for ecological, socio-economic, or scientific attributes vulnerable to damage from international shipping activities.
• Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 also defines Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

Reasons for the special areas

• The Baltic and Red Seas are enclosed bodies of maritime space, which are very polluted
• Locations such as the Baltic experience cold temperatures throughout the year, slowing the degradation process of pollutants.
• The Baltic has complex archipelagos and coastlines, such as around the Finnish Aaland Islands and the Ostrobothnia region. It can be hard to clean chemical spills.
• High concentration of certain pollutants.
• Designated areas, like the Red Sea and Gulfs, serve as oil transportation chokepoints with heavy navigational traffic.
• The coastal populations benefit from fishing industries.
• These areas need protection as they are important scientifically and socio-economically.