RESOLUTION MEPC.274(69)
(Adopted on 22 April 2016)
AMENDMENTS TO THE ANNEX OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION FROM SHIPS, 1973, AS MODIFIED BY THE PROTOCOL OF 1978 RELATING THERETO
Amendments to MARPOL Annex IV
(Baltic Sea Special Area and Form of ISPP Certificate)2
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 conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships, NOTING article 16 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL), which specifies the amendment procedure and confers upon the appropriate body of the Organization the function of considering and adopting amendments thereto,
HAVING CONSIDERED, at its sixty-ninth session, proposed amendments to regulations 1 and 11 and to the appendix to MARPOL Annex IV,
1 ADOPTS, in accordance with article 16(2)(d) of MARPOL, amendments to regulations 1 and 11 of MARPOL Annex IV concerning the Baltic Sea Special Area and to the appendix to MARPOL Annex IV concerning the Form of the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate, the texts of which are set out in the annex to the present resolution;
2 DETERMINES, in accordance with article 16(2)(f)(iii) of MARPOL, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted on 1 March 2017, 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% 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 MARPOL, the said amendments shall enter into force on 1 September 2017 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above;
4 REQUESTS the Secretary-General, for the purposes of article 16(2)(e) of MARPOL, to transmit certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments contained in the annex to all Parties to MARPOL;
5 REQUESTS FURTHER the Secretary-General to transmit copies of the present resolution and its annex to Members of the Organization which are not Parties to MARPOL.
ANNEX
AMENDMENTS TO MARPOL ANNEX IV
REGULATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF POLLUTION BY SEWAGE FROM SHIPS
Chapter 1 General
Regulation 1 Definitions
1 Paragraph 10 is replaced by the following:
"10 A passenger ship means a ship which carries more than twelve passengers. For the application of regulation 11.3 a new passenger ship is a passenger ship:
.1 for which the building contract is placed, or in the absence of a building contract, the keel of which is laid, or which is in similar stage of construction, on or after 1 June 2019; or
.2 the delivery of which is on or after 1 June 2021.
An existing passenger ship is a passenger ship which is not a new passenger ship."
Chapter 3 Equipment and control of discharge
Regulation 11 Discharge of sewage
2 Paragraph 3 is replaced by the following:
"B Discharge of sewage from passenger ships within a special area
3 Subject to the provisions of regulation 3 of this Annex, the discharge of sewage from a passenger ship within a special area shall be prohibited:
.1 for new passenger ships, on a date determined by the Organization pursuant to regulation 13.2 of this Annex, but in no event prior to 1 June 2019; and
.2 for existing passenger ships, on a date determined by the Organization pursuant to regulation 13.2 of this Annex, but in no event prior to 1 June 2021, except when the following conditions are satisfied: the ship has in operation an approved sewage treatment plant which has been certified by the Administration to meet the operational requirements referred to in regulation 9.2.1 of this Annex, and the effluent shall not produce visible floating solids nor cause discoloration of the surrounding water."
Refer to the Establishment of the date on which regulation 11.3 of MARPOL Annex IV in respect of the Baltic Sea Special Area shall take effect, adopted by resolution MEPC 275(69).
Appendix
Form of International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate
International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate
3 The final paragraph under section 1.1 is replaced by the following:
"The sewage treatment plant is certified by the Administration to meet the effluent standards as provided for in the Guidelines on implementation of
effluent standards and performance test for sewage treatment plants, Adopted by resolution MEPC.227(64), as amended, including/excluding the
standards of section 4.2 thereof."
