Why These Plans Exist
MARPOL creates the legal obligations; SOPEP and the Garbage Management Plan (GMP) translate those obligations into ship-specific procedures that the Master and crew can act on immediately, without consulting the convention itself. The examining officer will expect you to understand not just what the documents contain, but why you, as Master, are responsible for ensuring they are current, accessible and drilled.
SOPEP — Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan
SOPEP is required under MARPOL Annex I. It is the Master's operational response tool for an oil pollution incident or threat of one. The plan must be approved by the flag state administration and must contain:
- Steps to be taken when an oil spill occurs or is threatened
- Procedures for reporting to coastal state and flag state authorities (the plan names specific contacts and telephone numbers)
- Actions to minimise or control the discharge
- Points of contact on board (Master) and ashore (company, flag state, coastal authority)
For yachts under the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code (REG YC Part A, which superseded LY3), carriage of SOPEP is required at 400 GT and above for international voyages — this is the IOPP threshold. Below 400 GT the yacht retains oil on board for reception facilities, but the Master should still have a documented pollution response procedure; the REG YC and the SMS should address this.
Keep SOPEP in the wheelhouse or chartroom, not locked away. In an emergency you reach for it immediately.
Garbage Management Plan
Required under MARPOL Annex V for vessels of 100 GT and above (from 1 May 2024) or those certified to carry 15 or more persons. The GMP must:
- Be written and implemented in the working language of the crew
- Designate a responsible person for each garbage category
- Describe collection, storage, processing and disposal procedures
- Address all MARPOL Annex V garbage categories including plastics, food waste, operational waste, cargo residues and fishing gear
The Garbage Record Book (same thresholds: 100 GT or 15+ persons) records every discharge, incineration or delivery to a reception facility, signed by the officer in charge and each page countersigned by the Master. Retained for two years after the last entry.
Anti-Pollution Equipment on Board
As Master you must know what equipment you hold and where it is:
- Oil spill kit: absorbent pads, booms, disposal bags — sufficient for the yacht's realistic worst-case deck spill during bunkering
- Oily water separator (OWS): required at 400 GT and above (Annex I Reg 14); output ≤15 ppm monitored by an approved monitoring and control device; the 15 ppm monitor must be operational before any overboard discharge
- Bilge management: below 400 GT, bilge water must be retained and discharged to reception facilities — no overboard discharge without approved equipment
- Incinerator: if fitted, must not incinerate prohibited items (plastics, cargo residues with harmful substances, polyvinyl chloride)
In the oral, the examiner is testing whether you, as the responsible person, know what your ship can and cannot do — not whether you can quote the regulation number.