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Marpol regulation review – MEPC

MARPOL, or the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, is a set of regulations that aims to prevent ships from polluting the marine environment.

by Gillian Lovering

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MARPOL Regulations – MPEC

MARPOL, or the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, is a set of regulations that aims to prevent ships from polluting the marine environment.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) promoted the convention, which was adopted in 1973 and modified in 1978. MARPOL includes six technical annexes, each covering a different aspect of marine pollution:

  • Annex I: Regulates the prevention of pollution by oil
  • Annex II: Regulates all discharges into the sea.
  • Annex VI: Limits the amount of sulphur and nitrogen oxides that ships can emit from their exhausts, and prohibits the deliberate release of ozone-depleting substances. This annex also requires ships to use fuel with lower sulphur content.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), an arm of the IMO, actively spearheads initiatives to address pollutant discharge and emissions from marine activities. For instance:

All of these regulations play a critically important role in maintain marine water quality standards and marine air-quality  worldwide.

Rivertrace has been manufacturing and promoting environmental monitoring for over 35 years. Our focus is on providing Cleaner and Smarter solutions for monitoring oil-in-water discharge and exhaust gas emissions to help ensure our customers operate in compliance with the MARPOL MPEC regulations.

MARPOL Regulation Review: Oily Water Separator Discharge Regulations

In the maritime industry, adherence to oily water separator discharge regulations under MARPOL is paramount for protecting our oceans. Oily water separators are crucial equipment installed aboard ships to manage bilge water by removing oil and other contaminants before discharge. This process is vital for maintaining marine water quality and ensuring vessels operate within legally acceptable pollution limits.

According to MARPOL standards, all vessels over 400GT are required to have an oily water separator and a 15ppm bilge alarm fitted. These devices play a pivotal role in compliance by detecting when oil content in discharge exceeds permissible levels.

Rivertrace offers cutting-edge solutions like the Smart Bilge 15ppm Oil Content Monitor to support ships in achieving regulatory compliance and protecting marine environments, ensuring cleaner seas for future generations.

Download the guide to oil in water monitoring & discharge

We must promote the regulations and ensure compliance that will ultimately protect the customer, our partners and us.

Bilge Water Discharge

Resolution MEPC.107(49) as adopted on 18 July 2003

Please note these rules were updated in 2016 under IMO MEPC 285 (70) stating the following –

Section 4.2.11 is replaced by the following:

4.2.11 The validity of calibration certificates should be checked at IOPP annual/intermediate/renewal surveys. The accuracy of 15 ppm bilge alarms is to be checked by calibration and testing of the equipment conducted by a manufacturer or persons authorized by the manufacturer and should be done at intervals not exceeding five years after its commissioning, or within the term specified in the manufacturer’s instructions, whichever is shorter. Alternatively the unit may be replaced by a calibrated 15 ppm bilge alarm. The calibration certificate for the 15 ppm bilge alarm, certifying the date of the last calibration check, should be retained on board for inspection purposes.

Rivertrace have interpreted this to mean that all Calibrated SMART CELLs have a validity of 5 years from the factory calibration. After 5 years the SMART CELL must be replaced with a new or refurbished SMART CELL that has been factory calibrated.

Rivertrace service engineers or persons authorised by the manufacturer – those service agents trained by Rivertrace – may validate the accuracy of the SMART CELL by completing the calibration check and issuing a certificate. This Calibration Check Certificate will only be valid if the original Factory Calibration Certificate is within its 5 years validity.

Oil Discharge Monitoring for Tankers

Resolution MEPC.108(49) adopted on 18 July 2003

Resolution MEPC.240(65) Amendments adopted on 17 May 2013

 

ExxonMobil Recommendations

Rivertrace also supports ExxonMobil Marine Environmental, Safety and Quality Assurance Criteria to annually check or renew your Oily Water Separator (OWS) and Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment (ODME) systems.

  • F.17 The Oily Water Separator (OWS) and Oil Discharge Monitoring Equipment (ODME) MUST be regularly tested and verified fully operational, prior to each use. The OWS and ODME MUST be calibrated by manufacturers or persons authorised by the manufacturer, annually, or alternatively, the measuring unit sensor must be renewed. The OWS and ODME piping systems MUST be tamper proof and in accordance with MARPOL regulations and the approved system drawings.

We understand that no two fleets are managed the same and offer a flexible bespoke solution to suit their needs. This includes the following value-added services:

  • Calibration Check Certificates issued by approved representatives
  • Free to use RT Connected Portal to track monitors and automate reminders
  • Calibrated SMART CELL exchange schemes
  • Fixed annual maintenance charges so no hidden costs
  • Additional compliance of optional flow switch added to the Oil Content Meter
  • Additional compliance of integration with our SMARTSAFE ORB Bilge Security System and Electronic Oil Record Book

To find out more about how Rivertrace can support you in your compliance please contact us.

 

If you have any questions about the MARPOL marine environmental regulations or the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) guidelines, please contact us either by submitting a form here using this link with your questions or email us at sales@rivertrace.com. We are always happy to help.

For more information on the MARPOL marine environmental regulations or the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) guidelines visit our Regulations section

 

For more insights into our products and services, or for useful updates on marine environmental regulations, visit the News  and Resources sections of this website. There you’ll find some useful pages and links, like  White papers,  Videos and Webinars.