What the examiner is probing
The examiner wants to know whether you, as Master, understand your legal obligations around two distinct documents and the physical equipment that backs them up — not just that these things exist on board. A pass-standard answer names the documents, states who must carry them, explains their purpose and contents at command level, and connects them to the equipment you would actually use. A weak answer simply says "we have a SOPEP and a GMP on board."
SOPEP — Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan
Required under MARPOL Annex I for vessels ≥400 GT on international voyages, or those carrying oil as cargo (confirm applicability threshold to your specific vessel). The SOPEP is approved by your flag state administration and must be kept current.
Purpose: Gives the crew structured, pre-approved procedures to follow in the immediate aftermath of an oil pollution incident or threat. It exists because decisions made in the first minutes determine whether an incident becomes a reportable discharge.
Key contents you must be able to name:
- Reporting procedures and contact details — port state authority, coastal state, flag state, your company; who notifies whom and in what sequence
- Preamble of national and local contacts (revised each voyage if necessary)
- Procedures for the Master and designated persons
- Descriptions of coordinated action with authorities
Your command responsibility: The SOPEP is a living document. You must ensure it reflects current flag state, port state, and company contacts. Outdated contact pages in an otherwise approved SOPEP are a deficiency under PSC inspection.
Garbage Management Plan (GMP)
Required under MARPOL Annex V for vessels ≥100 GT or those certified to carry 15 or more persons. The GMP must be written, carried on board, and available to crew.
Purpose: Provides written procedures for collecting, storing, processing, and disposing of garbage, including who is responsible for each task. It must minimise and manage garbage in a manner consistent with Annex V.
For the Garbage Record Book (GRB), the same tonnage/persons threshold applies (100 GT or 15+ persons). Entries must be made at each discharge or incineration event and signed by the officer in charge; pages are signed by the Master. Retained for at least two years after the last entry — flag the exact retention period with your SME.
Anti-pollution equipment
As Master you must know what is on board and that it is maintained and ready:
- Oil filtering equipment (oily water separator): required ≥400 GT; must achieve ≤15 ppm output through approved equipment; monitored by an oil-content meter with automatic stopping device
- Sewage treatment plant or holding tank (Annex IV where applicable)
- Incinerator where fitted — subject to Annex VI controls on incineration of certain wastes
- Spill kit / SOPEP locker: absorbents, containment booms, drain plugs; quantity and condition are inspected under PSC
How to structure your spoken answer
State the document, its trigger (vessel size/type), its approval status, and then its command-level implication. For example: "The SOPEP is flag-state approved under Annex I. My responsibility as Master is to ensure contacts are current and crew know the reporting sequence before an incident occurs, not during one." Follow with equipment. Examiners reward command ownership — speak about what you check, not what the document says someone should do.