International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil

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The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL) was an International Treaty signed in London on 12 May 1954 (OILPOL 54). It was updated in 1962 (OILPOL 62), 1969 (OILPOL 69), and 1971 (OILPOL 71). [1] OILPOL was subsumed by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) in 1973.

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Since 1959, OILPOL is administered and promoted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which states:

The OILPOL Convention recognised that most oil pollution resulted from routine shipboard operations such as the cleaning of cargo tanks. In the 1950s, the normal practice was simply to wash the tanks out with water and then pump the resulting mixture of oil and water into the sea. OILPOL 54 prohibited the dumping of oily wastes within a certain distance from land and in 'special areas' where the danger to the environment was especially acute. [2]

Great Barrier Reef incident

On 3 March 1970, the Liberian crude oil tanker Oceanic Grandeur struck an uncharted rock in Torres Strait while en route from Dumai, Indonesia, to Brisbane. The incident resulted in a significant spill. [3] Due to concern about the Great Barrier Reef, amendments in OILPOL 71 were provided to extend the restricted zone to the Great Barrier Reef.

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A double-hulled tanker refers to an oil tanker which has a double hull. They reduce the likelihood of leaks occurring compared to single-hulled tankers, and their ability to prevent or reduce oil spills led to double hulls being standardized for oil tankers and other types of ships including by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships or MARPOL Convention. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in Alaska in 1989, the US government required all new oil tankers built for use between US ports to be equipped with a full double hull.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Maritime Organization</span> Specialised agency of the United Nations

The International Maritime Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time on 17 March 1958. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO, in 2024, has 176 Member States and three Associate Members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombok Strait</span> Strait in Indonesia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MARPOL 73/78</span> International marine environmental convention

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. It was developed by the International Maritime Organization with an objective to minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International waters</span> Water outside of national jurisdiction

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter</span> 1972 multilateral environmental agreement

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972, commonly called the "London Convention" or "LC '72" and also abbreviated as Marine Dumping, is an agreement to control pollution of the sea by dumping and to encourage regional agreements supplementary to the convention. It covers the deliberate disposal at sea of wastes or other matter from vessels, aircraft, and platforms. It does not cover discharges from land-based sources such as pipes and outfalls, wastes generated incidental to normal operation of vessels, or placement of materials for purposes other than mere disposal, providing such disposal is not contrary to aims of the convention. It entered into force in 1975. As of September 2016, there were 89 Parties to the convention.

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A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some distance inboard, typically by a few feet, which forms a redundant barrier to seawater in case the outer hull is damaged and leaks.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority Australian authority for maritime obligations

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An oily water separator (OWS) (marine) is a piece of equipment specific to the shipping or marine industry. It is used to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. This page refers exclusively to oily water separators aboard marine vessels. They are found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily waste water such as bilge water before the waste water is discharged into the environment. These discharges of waste water must comply with the requirements laid out in Marpol 73/78.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental impact of shipping</span> Ocean pollution

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The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters or Polar Code is an international regime adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2014. The Code sets out regulations for shipping in the polar regions, principally relating to ice navigation and ship design. The international framework aims to protect the two polar regions — the Arctic and Antarctic, from maritime risks. The Code entered into force on 1 January 2017.

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Marpol Annex I is the first implementation made by Marpol 73/78, one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. The convention was designed to minimize pollution of the seas from ships. The objective of the convention is to preserve the marine environment through the complete elimination of pollution by oil and other harmful substances and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances. The Marpol Annex I began to be enforced on October 2, 1983, and it details the prevention of pollution by oil and oily water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy fuel oil</span> Fuel oils of a tar-like consistency

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impacts of shipping on marine wildlife and habitats in Southeast Asia</span>

Southeast Asia is home to a diverse marine environment. The region is host to extensive coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds, and has even been described as the Amazon rainforest of the ocean. The region is estimated to contain approximately 35% of the world’s mangrove species and over 45% of the world’s seagrass species.. The shipping industry has multiple damaging impacts on marine habitats and wildlife, such as pollution from port actives, oil spills ballast and bilge discharge, waste dumping from ships and direct physical impact from grounding and anchor damage.

Environmental maritime crime constitutes one of the key components of the broader domain of blue crime, and it describes and includes activities that detrimentally impact the marine environment. Its effects have had extremely deleterious impacts on marine life, both in terms of affecting marine ecosystems and the life quality of coastal citizens, with damages that are often not reparable.

References

  1. "International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954". The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Earth Institute, Columbia University. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  2. "IMO / English / Our Work / Marine Environment / Pollution Prevention / Oil Pollution / Background". International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  3. "Oceanic Grandeur, Torres Strait, 3 March 1970 - Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)". Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.