Entry & progression
MARPOL prosecutions end careers, not just voyages. The oil record book is the single most litigated document in shipping, and a yacht's is not exempt.
The six annexes
| Annex | Pollutant | The yacht's exposure |
|---|---|---|
| I | Oil | Bilge water, sludge, fuel transfers, bunkering, the oil record book |
| II | Noxious liquid substances in bulk | Effectively none — yachts carry no bulk chemicals |
| III | Harmful substances in packaged form | Limited — but check what the interior stores |
| IV | Sewage | Real and constant. Holding tanks, treatment plant, discharge distances |
| V | Garbage | Real and constant. Garbage record book, garbage management plan |
| VI | Air pollution | Fuel sulphur content, emission control areas, ozone-depleting substances, incinerators |
Annex I and the oil record book
Every transfer, every discharge, every disposal of oil or oily residue is entered and signed. The entries must be complete, contemporaneous and true. There is a long global history of engineers falsifying oil record books and masters signing them without looking — and of both going to prison for it, in jurisdictions that prosecute the false record even where the discharge itself happened elsewhere.
WARNING — You sign it. Read it. The master's signature on the oil record book is not a formality — it is an assertion that the entries are true. If you do not understand what an entry means, do not sign it until the engineer has explained it to you. "The chief filled it in" has never once worked as a defence, anywhere.
Annex IV — sewage
Discharge of sewage is controlled by whether it is treated, comminuted and disinfected, or raw; by the vessel's distance from the nearest land; and by whether the discharge is at a moderate rate while the vessel is proceeding. The specific distances and conditions are set out in the Annex and are commonly tightened by local law. A yacht sitting in a beautiful bay with guests swimming off the stern is the exact circumstance in which this goes very publicly wrong.
Annex V — garbage
The modern position is straightforward and strict: discharge of garbage into the sea is prohibited, except in the limited cases the Annex permits. Plastics never. Segregate, record, land it ashore, and keep the receipts.
Annex VI — air
Fuel sulphur limits, emission control areas where the limits are stricter, controls on ozone-depleting substances, engine NOx certification, and rules on shipboard incineration. Bunker delivery notes and representative fuel samples must be retained — they are the evidence of what you actually burned.
CAUTION — Australian waters have special protections — and this course does not state their limits Australia has waters subject to special environmental protection, including areas of outstanding ecological value, and there are discharge and navigation arrangements that apply in them. We are not going to put a specific figure, boundary or pilotage requirement in your hands here, because those requirements are not in the fact base this course was built from. Before operating in Australian waters, obtain the current requirements from AMSA and from the responsible marine park and coastal authorities. Verify at amsa.gov.au.
MARPOL is the one area where a master's paperwork discipline is directly, personally, criminally consequential. Treat it that way.