Marine Environmental Protection
This domain tests MARPOL Annexes, ballast water, garbage, and oil-spill response. Questions often hinge on distance from land and whether the sea area is special.
MARPOL discharges
Annex I limits oily-water discharge to 15 ppm through the oily-water separator and requires Oil Record Book entries. Annex IV controls sewage; Annex V controls garbage; Annex VI limits sulphur to 0.50% globally and 0.10% in emission control areas. The Caspian is not a MARPOL Annex VI ECA. The Ballast Water Management Convention requires compliance with the D-2 standard, and the AFS Convention controls anti-fouling systems.
Worked example
A ship is 5 nm from the nearest land. Food waste that is not comminuted may be discharged only at 12 nm or beyond. Comminuted food waste may be discharged at 3 nm or beyond. At 5 nm, only comminuted food waste may go overboard; plastics are prohibited everywhere. Record the discharge in the Garbage Record Book.
Traps
Treating the Caspian as a MARPOL special area without checking the annex; discharging plastics; confusing 3 nm and 12 nm; and forgetting that the Oil Record Book is retained for three years while the Garbage Record Book is retained for two.