Shipboard Safety, Pollution Prevention and Emergency Response
This domain covers safety, pollution prevention and emergency response in machinery spaces: enclosed spaces, hot work, firefighting systems, and the MARPOL discharge rules.
Core rules
- Enclosed space entry: permit, atmosphere test for oxygen (about 20.9 %), hydrocarbon, H2S and CO, continuous ventilation, attendant at the entrance, rescue equipment and communications.
- MARPOL Annex I: machinery-space bilge water may be discharged only when en route, more than 12 nm from nearest land, through 15 ppm equipment with alarm and automatic stopping, recorded in the ORB. No discharge in the Antarctic area.
- Annex VI: 0.50 % m/m sulphur global cap, 0.10 % in emission control areas, with equivalent methods such as scrubbers permitted.
- Fire: fixed CO2 requires the space sealed and the crew accounted for before release.
Worked example
A vessel 8 nm from land proposes to discharge treated bilge water at 10 ppm. Refuse it: the 12 nm distance condition fails, so the discharge is illegal whatever the oil content. Transfer to a holding tank, discharge later in compliance, and record the transfer.
Traps
Treating the 15 ppm limit as the only condition; releasing CO2 before mustering; entering a space because it was tested an hour ago; assuming a scrubber removes the need for emission records.