The Cayman Registry issues Shippinh Notice 9/2011 referring to all owners, managers, charterers and masters of Cayman islands ships of 400 GT and above (including private and commercial yachts). This notice regards Unified Interpretation of MARPOL Annex I Regulation 12.2 and IMO Guidance on Oil Waste Management & ORB Entries.

1. Background

1.1 Following the sixty second session of IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 62) in July 2011, guidance has now been published on the following subjects:

1.1.1 Revised guidance for the recording of operations in the Oil Record Book, Part I - Machinery Space Operations (All Ships) in Circular MEPC.1/Circ. 736/Rev.1.

1.1.2 Guidelines for a shipboard oily waste pollution prevention plan in Circular MEPC.1/Circ.759.

1.2 In addition amendments to the Unified Interpretation to Regulation 12.2 of MARPOL Annex I have been published in Circular MEPC.1/Circ.753. This Unified Interpretation supersedes the guidance given in Shipping Notice 03/2009.

1.3 Shipping Notice 03/2009 is now withdrawn.

1.4 Copies of Circulars MEPC.1/Circ.753, 759 and 736 Rev.1 are available from the IMO Public Documents Site at https://docs.imo.org (requires free registrations).

2. Unified Interpretation to regualtion 12.2 of MARPOL Annex I

2.1 During MEPC 62, the Committee considered a number of documents seeking clarification of the scope of application of regulation 12 of MARPOL Annex I and the associated Unified Interpretation.

2.3 From the perspective of system design, regulation 12 no longer allows an interconnection between the sludge tank discharge piping and the bilge water piping for the discharge to the standard discharge connection.

2.4 Following discussions, the Committee agreed that regulation 12.2.2 of Annex I should not be retrospectively applied to ships delivered before 01 January 2014 and amended the corresponding Unified Interpretation accordingly.

2.5 For ships delivered before 01 January 20141, existing arrangements where the oil residue (sludge) tank(s) have discharge connections to oily bilge water holding tank(s), tank top or oily water separator may be accepted.

3. Guidelines for Recording Operations in the Oil Record Book

3.1 At MEPC 61, the Committee agreed guidance for the recording of operations in the Oil Record Book Part I, and these were published as MEPC.1/Circ.736. At MEPC 62, the Committee agreed a number of minor corrections which are published as MEPC.1/Circ.736 Rev.1.

4. Guidelines for a Shipboard Oil Waste Pollution Prevention Plan

4.1 The Ship Design and Equipment Sub Committee proposed Guidelines for a Shipboard Oily Waste Pollution Prevention Plan to assist shipowners and operators in the development of pollution prevention plans for machinery spaces of ships to support the environmental objectives required by the ISM Code.

4.2 These guidelines were formally adopted by MEPC and published as MEPC.1/Circ.759.

Source: Cayman Registry