Summary of Working Paper No. 65-1996

II.6.4: NSR Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan

By Vladimir Somkin, D. Ilyscenko-krylov and P.Lastochkin, Central Marine Research and Design Institute (CNIIMF), St.Petersburg, Russia

The need for developing the "Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan" has been specified by the new Regulation 26 of Annex 1 to MARPOL 73/78:

Every oil tanker of 150 tons gross tonnage and above, and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 tons gross tonnage and above, shall carry on board a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan approved by the Administration. In the case of ships built before 4 April 1993 this requirement shall apply 24 months after that date.

The purpose of this study is to prepare the "Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan" /SOPEP/ which provides for peculiarities of ship operations on the Northern Sea Route.

Subjected to a survey were about 40 ships belonging to the Murmansk, Northern and Baltic Shipping Companies, which operate permanently or periodically on the Northern Sea Route.

An examination was given to the peculiarities of ship operations in the high latitudes.

In the process of development of the general concept of the "Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan" international and national documents have been scrutinized:

SOPEP was developed in accordance with the "Guidelines for the Development of Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan" which had been approved by MEPC 54(32) Resolution. SOPEP contains the basic divisions which are required under the Guidelines.

The SOPEP contemplates for ships operating on the Northern Sea Route recommendations to prevent oil pollution when the ship is prepared for and during navigation in ice. These recommendations are given in Section 5.