POLLUTION PREVENTION EQUIPMENT REQUIRED BY MARPOL 73/78

1 MARPOL 73/78 requires ships to be fitted with certain pollution prevention equipment
(PPE), including oil filtering equipment, oil content meters, oil/water interface detectors and sewage
treatment plants. Such equipment should be of the type which has been approved by Governments in
accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the Organization.

2 Over the years, the Organization has adopted a series of resolutions on PPE performance and
test specifications, which include the following:

.1 Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery
Space Bilges of Ships (resolution MEPC.60(33));
.2 Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control
Systems for Oil Tankers (resolution A.586(14));
.3 Specification for Oil/Water Interface Detectors (resolution MEPC.5(XIII)) ;
.4 Recommendation on International Effluent Standards and Guidelines for
Performance Tests for Sewage Treatment Plants (resolution MEPC.2(VI));
.5 Standard Specification for Shipboard Incinerators (resolution MEPC.59(33));
.6 Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for
Machinery Space Bilges of Ships (resolution MEPC.107(49)); and
.7 Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control
Systems for Oil Tankers (resolution MEPC.108(49).

3 It should be noted that the Standard Specification for Shipboard Incinerators contained in
Appendix 2 to the Revised Guidelines for the Implementation of Annex V of MARPOL 73/78
adopted by resolution MEPC.59(33) is superseded by the new Standard Specification for Shipboard
Incinerators adopted by resolution MEPC.76(40), as amended by resolution MEPC.93(45), as a
result of the adoption of Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 – Regulations for the Prevention of Air
Pollution from Ships.

4 It should also be noted that the Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution
Prevention Equipment for Machinery Space Bilges of Ships adopted by resolution MEPC.107(49) on
18 July 2003 supersedes the Guidelines and Specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for
Machinery Space Bilges of Ships adopted by resolution MEPC.60(33) on 30 October 1992; and that
the Revised Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil
Tankers adopted by resolution MEPC.108(49) on 18 July 2003 are intended to replace the Guidelines
and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers adopted by
resolution A.586(14) on 20 November 1985.
MEPC.5/Circ.9 – 2 –

5 By the resolutions, Governments are also invited to inform the Organization of those PPE
which have been tested and approved by them.

6 In order that PPE installed on board ships are those which have been tested and approved by
Governments, the Secretariat of the Organization, since 1980, has been collecting and disseminating
information on approved PPE through annual MEPC circulars.

7 In this connection, it will be recalled that MEPC 36 (31 October to 4 November 1994), taking
into account the fact that certain resolutions on PPE have been superseded by others, decided that,
from 1996, MEPC circulars on PPE will only list those which have been approved by Governments
in accordance with resolutions MEPC.60(33), A.586(14), MEPC.5(VIII), MEPC.2(VI) and
MEPC.59(33).

8 In accordance with the decision of MEPC 36, and taking into account subsequent
developments, the present annual circular has the following seven annexes:

Annex 1 Oil filtering equipment (15ppm equipment) approved in accordance with part 1 of the
Annex of resolution MEPC.60(33)
Annex 2 Oil content meters (for bilge alarms) approved in accordance with part 2 of the
Annex of resolution MEPC.60(33)
Annex 3 Oil content meters (for oily water from cargo tanks) approved in accordance with
part 1 of the Annex of resolution A.586(14)
Annex 4 Oil/water interface detectors approved in accordance with resolution MEPC.5(XIII)
Annex 5 Sewage treatment plants approved in accordance with resolution MEPC.2(VI)
Annex 6 Shipboard Incinerators approved in accordance with appendix 2 of
resolution MEPC.59(33) and resolution MEPC.76(40), as amended by
resolution MEPC.93(45)
Annex 7 15 ppm Bilge Separators approved in accordance with part 1 of the Annex to
resolution MEPC.107(49)
Annex 8 15 ppm Bilge Alarms approved in accordance with part 2 of the Annex to resolution
MEPC.107(49)

9 Additional annexes will be appended to subsequent issues of this Circular incorporating new
PPE approved in accordance with resolutions MEPC.107(49) and MEPC.108(49), when necessary.

10 Governments are invited, as appropriate, to bring this circular to the attention of their
Administrations, authorities and industries concerned.

11 It should be noted that the lists of PPE in this circular are compiled on the basis of
information submitted by Governments, and that non-entry of equipment may not necessarily mean
that such equipment has not been approved by Governments.

12 It should also be noted that, for control purposes of whether equipment had been approved,
e.g. oil filtering equipment and oil content meters which had been approved in accordance with
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resolution A.393(X), reference could always be made to an earlier MEPC circular on PPE, especially
MEPC/Circ.296, which listed all pollution prevention equipment approved by Governments
before 1995.

13 With the aim of having a concise yet adequate MEPC Circular on approved PPE, it would be
highly appreciated if Governments could, when submitting the certificates of PPE newly approved
by them, attach a list of such equipment in accordance with the established ìone-lineî entry format
of this circular for each type of equipment.