USCG issues Marine Safety Bulletin
The US Coast Guard has issued a bulletin reminding stakeholders that amendments to MARPOL Annex V (Garbage) entered into effect on 1 January 2013 and established a general prohibition on discharges of garbage into the sea.
Disposal of garbage into designated special areas is particularly restricted. Among the designated special areas under Annex V is the Wider Caribbean Region Special Area, which includes the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
The Coast Guard has noticed a recent increase in the number of MARPOL Annex V-related deficiencies during port state control (PSC) exams of vessels calling on Gulf of Mexico ports. A foreign vessel that improperly disposes of garbage in a special area may be subject to a number of PSC interventions.
Specifically, there havebeen a number of violations of the MARPOL Annex V, Regulation 6 requirement to comminute food waste priorto discharge in a special area. In many instances, the vessel has an updated Garbage Management Plan on boardand posted placarding that includes the new provisions of MARPOL Annex V.
However, the vessel’s crew isunfamiliar with the new MARPOL Annex V provisions and is not properly implementing the approved GarbageManagement Plan, resulting in the improper disposal of uncomminuted food wastes within the Wider CaribbeanRegion special area.
This improper disposal is considered clear grounds for believing that the master and crew are not familiar withessential shipboard procedures relating to the prevention of pollution by garbage as discussed in MARPOLAnnex V, Regulation 8. As such, a foreign vessel that improperly disposes of garbage in a special area may besubject to a number of Port State Control interventions, including an International Maritime Organizationreportable detention
CG-CVC Policy Letter 13-01 titled “Interim Guidance for Revised MARPOL Annex V Implementation” isavailable on the Coast Guard’s Homeport website (please enter 13-01 in the search function)
For more information, please click at USCG Marine Bulletin
