Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil of 12 May 1954

(London, 21 October 1969)
 

Article I

The existing text of paragraph (1) is replaced by the following:

(1) For the purposes of the present Convention, the following expressions shall (unless the context otherwise requires) have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them that is to say:

"The Bureau" has the meaning assigned to it by Article XXI;

"Discharge" in relation to oil or to oily mixture means any discharge or escape howsoever caused;

"Heavy diesel oil" means diesel oil, other than those distillates of which more than 50 per cent by volume distils at a temperature not exceeding 340C when tested by ASTM Standard Method D.86/59;

"Instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content" means the rate of discharge of oil in litres per hour at any instant divided by the speed of the ship in knots at the same instant;

"Mile" means a nautical mile of 6,080 feet or 1,852 metres;

"Nearest land". The term "from the nearest land" means "from the base-line from which the territorial sea of the territory in question is established in accordance with the Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, 1958";

"Oil" means crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil and lubricating oil, and "oily" shall be construed accordingly;

"Oily mixture" means a mixture with any oil content;

"Organization" means the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization;

"Ship" means any sea-going vessel of any type whatsoever, including floating craft, whether self-propelled or towed by another vessel, making a sea voyage; and "tanker" means a ship in which the greater part of the cargo space is constructed or adapted for the carriage of liquid cargoes in bulk and which is not, for the time being, carrying a cargo other than oil in that part of its cargo space.

Article III

The existing text of Article III is replaced by the following:

Subject to the provisions of Articles IV and V:

(a) the discharge from a ship to which the present Convention applies, other than a tanker, of oil or oil mixture shall be prohibited except when the following conditions are all satisfied:

(i) the ship is proceeding en route;

(ii) the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 60 litres per mile;

(iii) the oil content of the discharge is less than 100 parts per 1,000,000 parts of the mixture;

(iv) the discharge is made as far as practicable from land;

(b) the discharge from a tanker to which the present Convention applies of oil or oily mixture shall be prohibited except when the following conditions are all satisfied;

(i) the tanker is proceeding en route;

(ii) the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 60 litres per mile;

(iii) the total quantity of oil discharged on a ballast voyage does not exceed 1/15,000 of the total cargo-carrying capacity;

(iv) the tanker is more than 50 miles from the nearest land;

(c) the provisions of sub-paragraph (b) of this Article shall not apply to:

(i) the discharge of ballast from a cargo tank which, since the cargo was last carried therein, has been so cleaned that any effluent therefrom, if it were discharged from a stationary tanker into clean calm water on a clear day, would produce no visible traces of oil on the surface of the water; or

(ii) the discharge of oil or oily mixture from machinery space bilges, which shall be governed by the provisions of sub-paragraph (a) of this Article.

Article IV

Paragraph (c) is deleted.

Article V

The existing text of Article V is replaced by the following:

Article III shall not apply to the discharge of oily mixture from the bilges of a ship during the period of twelve months following the date on which the present Convention comes into force for the relevant territory in accordance with paragraph (1) of Article II.

Article VII

The existing text of Article VII is replaced by the following:

(1) As from a date twelve months after the present Convention comes into force for the relevant territory in respect of a ship in accordance with paragraph (1) of Article II, such a ship shall be required to be so fitted as to prevent, as far as reasonable and practicable, the escape of oil into bilges, unless effective means are provided to ensure that the oil in the bilges is not discharged in contravention of this Convention.

(2) Carrying water ballast in oil fuel tanks shall be avoided if possible.

Article IX

The existing texts of paragraphs (1) and (2) are replaced by the following:

(1) Of the ships to which the present Convention applies, every ship which uses oil fuel and every tanker shall be provided with an oil record book, whether as part of the ship's official log book or otherwise, in the form specified in the Annex to this Convention.

(2) The oil record book shall be completed on each occasion, on a tank-to-tank basis, whenever any of the following operations take place in the ship:

(a) for tankers:

(i) loading of oil cargo;

(ii) transfer of oil cargo during voyage;

(iii) discharge of oil cargo;

(iv) ballasting of cargo tanks;

(v) cleaning of cargo tanks;

(vi) discharge of dirty ballast;

(vii) discharge of water from slop-tanks;

(viii) disposal of residues;

(ix) discharge overboard of bilge water containing oil which has accumulated in machinery spaces whilst in port, and the routine discharge at sea of bilge water containing oil unless the latter has been entered in the appropriate log book;

(b) for ships other than tankers:

(i) ballasting or cleaning of bunker fuel tanks;

(ii) discharge of dirty ballast or cleaning water from tanks referred to under (i) of this sub-paragraph;

(iii) disposal of residues;

(iv) discharge overboard of bilge water containing oil which has accumulated in machinery spaces whilst in port, and the routine discharge at sea of bilge water containing oil unless the latter has been entered in the appropriate log book.

In the event of such discharge or escape of oil or oily mixture as is referred to in Article IV, a statement shall be made in the oil record book of the circumstances of, and the reason for, the discharge or escape.

Article X

The existing text of paragraph (2) is replaced by the following:

(2) Upon receiving such particulars, the Government so informed shall investigate the matter, and may request the other Government to furnish further or better particulars of the alleged contravention. If the Government so informed is satisfied that sufficient evidence is available in the form required by its law to enable proceedings against the owner or master of the ship to be taken in respect of the alleged contravention, it shall cause such proceedings to be taken as soon as possible. That Government shall promptly inform the Government whose official has reported the alleged contravention, as well as the Organization, of the action taken as a consequence of the information communicated.

Annex A

Annex A is deleted.

Annex B

Annex B is deleted and replaced by the following:

ANNEX

FORM OF OIL RECORD BOOK

I - FOR TANKERS

Name of ship ..................................

Total cargo carrying capacity of ship in cubic metres ....................................

(a) Loading of oil cargo

(b) Transfer of oil cargo during voyage

(c) Discharge of oil cargo

(d) Ballasting of cargo tanks

(e) Cleaning of cargo tanks

* Hand hosing, machine washing or chemical cleaning. Where chemically cleaned, the chemical concerned and the amount used should be stated.

(f) Discharge of dirty ballast

(g) Discharge of water from slop tank(s)

(h) Disposal of residues

(i) Discharge overboard of bilge water containing oil which has accumulated in machinery spaces (including pump rooms) whilst in port*

* The routine discharge at sea of bilge water containing any oil from machinery spaces including pump room bilges need not be entered in the oil record book but, if not, it must be entered in the appropriate log book, stating whether or not the discharge was made through a separator. Where the pump starts automatically and discharges through a separator at all times it will be sufficient to enter each day "Automatic discharge from bilges through separator".

(j) Accidental or other exceptional discharges of oil

Signature of Officer or Officers in charge of operation concerned

Signature of Master

II - FOR SHIPS OTHER THAN TANKERS

Name of ship ....................................

(a) Ballasting or cleaning of bunker fuel tanks

(b) Discharge of dirty ballast or cleaning water from tanks referred to under (a)

(c) Disposal of residues

(d) Discharge overboard of bilge water containing oil which has accumulated in machinery spaces whilst in port*

* The routine discharge at sea of bilge water containing any oil from machinery spaces need not be entered in the oil record book but if not, it must be entered in the appropriate log book, stating whether or not the discharge was made through a separator. Where the pump starts automatically and discharges through a separator at all times it will be sufficient to enter each day "Automatic discharge from bilges through a separator".

(e) Accidental or other exceptional discharges of oil

Signature of Officer or Officers in charge of operations concerned

Signature of Master