Amendments To Annex IV of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to The International Convention For The Prevention Of Pollution From Ships (Discharge of sewage)

Filename: 2007-AmendmentsAnnexIV-1973-PollutionFromShips.EN.txt

Amendments To Annex IV of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to The International Convention For The Prevention Of Pollution From Ships (Discharge of sewage)

Source: http://www.imo.org/includes/blastDataOnly.asp/data_id%3D19691/164%2856%2..., downloaded 20080120

RESOLUTION MEPC.164(56) - Adopted on 13 July 2007

(Discharge of sewage)

THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE,

RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (the Committee) conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution,

NOTING Article 16 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the “1973 Convention”) and article VI of the Protocol of 1978 relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 (hereinafter referred to as the “1978 Protocol”) which together specify the amendment procedure of the 1978 Protocol and confer upon the appropriate body of the Organization the function of considering and adopting amendments to the 1973 Convention, as modified by the 1978 Protocol (MARPOL 73/78),

HAVING CONSIDERED proposed amendments to regulation 38.2.5 of Annex I and regulation 11.1.1 of Annex IV to MARPOL 73/78,

1. ADOPTS, in accordance with Article 16(2)(d) of the 1973 Convention, the amendments to Annex I and Annex IV of MARPOL 73/78, the texts of which are set out at Annex 1 and Annex 2 respectively to the present resolution;

2. DETERMINES, in accordance with Article 16(2)(f)(iii) of the 1973 Convention, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted on 1 June 2008, unless prior to that date, not less than one-third of the Parties or Parties the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50 per cent of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant fleet, have communicated to the Organization their objection to the amendments;

3. INVITES the Parties to note that, in accordance with Article 16(2)(g)(ii) of the 1973 Convention, the said amendments shall enter into force on 1 December 2008 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above;

4. REQUESTS the Secretary-General, in conformity with Article 16(2)(e) of the 1973 Convention, to transmit to all Parties to MARPOL 73/78 certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments contained in the Annexes; and

5. REQUESTS FURTHER the Secretary-General to transmit to the Members of the Organization which are not Parties to MARPOL 73/78 copies of the present resolution and its Annexes.

ANNEX 2

AMENDMENTS TO MARPOL ANNEX IV

(Discharge of sewage)

Regulation 11.1.1 is replaced by the following:

".1 the ship is discharging comminuted and disinfected sewage using a system approved by the Administration in accordance with regulation 9.1.2 of this Annex at a distance of more than 3 nautical miles from the nearest land, or sewage which is not comminuted or disinfected, at a distance of more than 12 nautical miles from the nearest land, provided that, in any case, the sewage that has been stored in holding tanks, or sewage originating from spaces containing living animals, shall not be discharged instantaneously but at a moderate rate when the ship is en route and proceeding at not less than 4 knots; the rate of discharge shall be approved by the Administration based upon standards developed by the Organization[1]; or" ***

[1] Refer to the Recommendation on standards for the rate of discharge of untreated sewage from ships adopted by the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the Organization by resolution MEPC.157(55).