Additional requirements of MARPOL ANNEX V amended by Polar code (MEPC.265(68)

At the sixty-eighth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 68) held on May 2015, pollution prevention measures in Part II of the Polar Code (refer to MEPC.264(68)) and amendments to MARPOL to make the code mandatory (refer to MEPC.265(68) as attachment 3) were adopted. The amended MARPOL Annex V adopted by resolution MEPC.265(68) will enter into force on 1 January 2017.

By the amendment, additional requirements for discharge of garbage from ships in polar waters will be imposed. Therefore, vessels are required to implement the following by 1 January 2017:
1. Preparing placard stating MARPOL Annex V requirements of discharge, including requirements of discharge in polar water.
2. Preparing Garbage Management Plan including garbage management procedure in accordance with the requirement of discharge in the polar waters.
3. Preparing amended form of Garbage Record Book.
4. Vessels sailing in the polar waters shall operate in accordance with amended Garbage Management Plan and entries are to be made in amended Garbage Record Book.

The above 1.-3. are applied to all vessels including the vessels sailing in the polar water.
Regarding the above 2., for the vessels not sailing in the polar waters, "the vessel does not sail in the polar water" can be written in the Garbage Management Plan instead of preparing garbage management procedure for the polar waters. And, regarding the above 3., Garbage Record Book shall be amended by 1 January 2017 for all vessels.

Similar to before, no statutory certificate or mandatory inspection is regulated under the ANNEX V. So far, ClassNK has done many appraisal service related to MARPOL ANNEX V under voluntary basis as requested by shipowners (refer to ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-0932). Now, we will continue this service according to the revised ANNEX V.

Amendments and IMO Circular may be downloaded from,

http://www.classnk.or.jp/hp/pdf/tech_info/tech_img/T1076e.pdf