1. Except as specified in paragraph 3 of this regulation any ship of 400 gross tonnage and above but less than 10,000 gross tonnage shall be fitted with oil filtering equipment complying with paragraph 6 of this regulation. Any such ship which may discharge into the sea ballast water retained in fuel oil tanks in accordance with regulation 16.2 shall comply with paragraph 2 of this regulation.
2. Except as specified in paragraph 3 of this regulation any ship of 10,000 gross tonnage and above shall be fitted with oil filtering equipment complying with paragraph 7 of this regulation.
3. Ships, such as hotel ships, storage vessels, etc., which are stationary except for non- cargo-carrying relocation voyages need not be provided with oil filtering equipment. Such ships shall be provided with a holding tank having a volume adequate, to the satisfaction of the Administration, for the total retention on board of the oily bilge water. All oily bilge water shall be retained on board for subsequent discharge to reception facilities.
4. The Administration shall ensure that ships of less than 400 gross tonnage are equipped, as far as practicable, to retain on board oil or oily mixtures or discharge them in accordance with the requirements of regulation 15.6 of MARPOL Annex-I.
( Reg. 15.6 In the case of a ship of less than 400 gross tonnage, oil, and all oily mixtures shall either be retained on board for subsequent discharge to reception facilities or discharged into the sea in accordance with the following provisions:
.1 the ship is proceeding en route;
.2 the ship has in operation equipment of a design approved by the Administration that ensures that the oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 parts per million;
.3 the oily mixture does not originate from cargo pump room bilges on oil tankers; and
the oily mixture, in case of oil tankers, is not mixed with oil cargo residues. )
5. The Administration may waive the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this regulation for:
.1 any ship engaged exclusively on voyages within special areas or Arctic waters, or
.2 any ship certified under the International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft (or otherwise within the scope of this Code with regard to size and design) engaged on a scheduled service with a turn-around time not exceeding 24 hours and covering also non-passenger/cargo-carrying relocation voyages for these ships,
.3 with regard to the provision of subparagraph .1 and .2 above, the following conditions shall be complied with:
3.1 the ship is fitted with a holding tank having a volume adequate, to the satisfaction of the Administration, for the total retention on board of the oily bilge water;
3.2 all oily bilge water is retained on board for subsequent discharge to reception facilities;
3.3 the Administration has determined that adequate reception facilities are available to receive such oily bilge water in a sufficient number of ports or terminals the ship calls at;
3.4 the International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate, when required, is endorsed to the effect that the ship is exclusively engaged on the voyages within special areas or Arctic waters or has been accepted as a high-speed craft for the purpose of this regulation and the service is identified; and
3.5 the quantity, time, and port of the discharge are recorded in the Oil Record Book Part I.
6. Oil filtering equipment referred to in paragraph 1 of this regulation shall be of a design approved by the Administration and shall be such as will ensure that any oily mixture discharged into the sea after passing through the system has an oil content not exceeding 15 parts per million. In considering the design of such equipment, the Administration shall have regard to the specification recommended by the Organization.*
7. Oil filtering equipment referred to in paragraph 2 of this regulation shall comply with paragraph 6 of this regulation. In addition, it shall be provided with alarm arrangement to indicate when this level cannot be maintained. The system shall also be provided with arrangements to ensure that any discharge of oily mixtures is automatically stopped when the oil content of the effluent exceeds 15 parts per million. In considering the design of such equipment and approvals, the Administration shall have regard to the specification recommended by the Organization.*
( * Refer to the Recommendation on International Performance and Test Specification for Oily-Water Separating Equipment and Oil Content Meters, adopted by the Organization by Assembly resolution A.393(X), or the Guidelines and specifications for Pollution Prevention Equipment for Machinery space Bilges of Ships, adopted by the Marine Environment Protection Committee by resolution MEPC.60(33), or the revised guidelines and specification for pollution prevention equipment for machinery space bilges of ships, adopted by the Marine Environment Protection Committee by resolution MEPC.107(49). )