Environment and regulation

The three thresholds for garbage placards, management plans and record books and the entry and retention rules (MARPOL Annex V Regulation 10)

MARPOL Annex V Regulation 10 asks three things of a ship. A placard that announces the discharge requirements, a garbage management plan the crew follows, and a Garbage Record Book in which discharges and incinerations are entered. The three have different thresholds.

Mixing the thresholds changes the outcome. Apply the management plan threshold to the record book and a ship that needs no record book is asked for one. Read it the other way and the ship turns up at a port State inspection without the record book it needs.

The base text is the revised Annex V adopted by resolution MEPC.201(62), in force from 1 January 2013. Three later resolutions touched Regulation 10: MEPC.277(70) in force from 2018, MEPC.314(74) in force from 2020 and MEPC.360(79) in force from 2024. This article reads the text as amended and says which resolution changed what.

Placards start at 12 m in length and carry a language condition

1.1 Every ship of 12 m or more in length overall and fixed or floating platforms shall display placards which notify the crew and passengers of the discharge requirements of regulations 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this Annex, as applicable. .2 The placards shall be written in the working language of the ship’s crew and, for ships engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of other Parties to the Convention, shall also be in English, French or Spanish.

The threshold is length, not tonnage. A ship of 12 m or more in length overall displays placards whatever its gross tonnage. Fixed and floating platforms do the same. The content is the discharge requirements of regulations 3, 4, 5 and 6, and only those that apply to that ship.

The language condition has two layers. The working language of the crew is the base. A ship bound for ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of another Party adds one of English, French or Spanish. A ship on domestic voyages only needs the working language alone.

The management plan starts at 100 gross tonnage or 15 persons and names a person in charge

2 Every ship of 100 gross tonnage and above, and every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more persons, and fixed or floating platforms shall carry a garbage management plan which the crew shall follow. This plan shall provide written procedures for minimizing, collecting, storing, processing and disposing of garbage, including the use of the equipment on board. It shall also designate the person or persons in charge of carrying out the plan. Such a plan shall be based on the guidelines developed by the Organization and written in the working language of the crew.

The two thresholds are joined by or. A ship of 100 gross tonnage and above is caught, and so is a ship certified to carry 15 or more persons. Small passenger ships come in through the second threshold. The number is the certified capacity, not the persons actually on board.

The plan sets out procedures in five steps. Minimizing, collecting, storing, processing and disposing. The use of the equipment on board goes in as well. The plan names the person or persons in charge of carrying it out. It is based on the guidelines developed by the Organization and written in the working language of the crew. Unlike the placard, there is no condition to add English.

MEPC.360(79) lowered the record book threshold from 400 to 100 gross tonnage

Regulation 10.3 of the text in force from 2013 set the record book threshold at 400 gross tonnage and above. MEPC.360(79), in force from 1 May 2024, replaced its first sentence with the following.

3 Every ship of 100 gross tonnage and above and every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more persons engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of another Party to the Convention and every fixed or floating platform shall be provided with a Garbage Record Book.

The threshold is now the same 100 gross tonnage as the management plan, but one more condition is attached. The ship has to be engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of another Party. A ship of 100 gross tonnage on domestic voyages only carries a management plan, and this provision does not reach it for the record book.

The second sentence of the same paragraph was replaced by MEPC.314(74), in force from 1 October 2020.

The Garbage Record Book, whether as a part of the ship’s official logbook, or as an electronic record book which shall be approved by the Administration taking into account the Guidelines developed by the Organization, or otherwise, shall be in the form specified in appendix II to this Annex:

The record book may take three forms. Part of the ship’s official logbook, an electronic record book approved by the Administration, or another form. In every case the form follows appendix II. The electronic record book is conditional on approval by the Administration, so installing software does not by itself produce a record book.

Requirement	Threshold	Further condition
Placard	12 m or more in length overall, platforms	Working language, plus English, French or Spanish for foreign port calls
Management plan	100 gross tonnage or certified for 15 or more persons, platforms	Working language, person in charge named
Record book	100 gross tonnage or certified for 15 or more persons, platforms	Voyages to ports of another Party, form of appendix II

The record book is split into Part I and Part II, with nine categories and two

MEPC.277(70), in force from 1 March 2018, replaced the category description in appendix II with the following.

3 Description of the garbage Garbage is to be grouped into categories for the purposes of recording in parts I and II of the Garbage Record Book (or ship’s official log-book) as follows: Part I A Plastics B Food wastes C Domestic wastes D Cooking oil E Incinerator ashes F Operational wastes G Animal carcasses H Fishing gear I E-waste Part II J Cargo residues (non-HME) K Cargo residues (HME)

Part I is used by every ship. Part II is used only by ships that carry solid bulk cargoes. J and K split on whether the cargo residues are harmful to the marine environment (HME). In the text in force from 2013, cargo residues were a single category G. This amendment moved them to Part II and split them in two, and the E-waste category I came in at the same time.

Entry items split into discharge to sea, incineration and delivery ashore

Who signs and when is set by regulation 10.3.1 of the text in force from 2013.

.1 Each discharge into the sea or to a reception facility, or a completed incineration, shall be promptly recorded in the Garbage Record Book and signed for on the date of the discharge or incineration by the officer in charge. Each completed page of the Garbage Record Book shall be signed by the master of the ship. The entries in the Garbage Record Book shall be at least in English, French or Spanish. Where the entries are also made in an official language of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly, the entries in that language shall prevail in case of a dispute or discrepancy;

The officer in charge signs on the day, and the master signs each completed page. MEPC.314(74) inserted or group of electronic entries after each completed page in the second sentence. In an electronic record book the master signs by group of entries instead of by page. The minimum language is one of English, French or Spanish. Where entries are also made in an official language of the flag State, that language prevails in a dispute.

What goes into an entry was rewritten by MEPC.277(70) as three separate subparagraphs.

.2 The entry for each discharge into the sea under regulations 4, 5, 6 or section 5.2 of chapter 5 of part II-A of the Polar Code shall include date and time, position of the ship (latitude and longitude), category of the garbage and the estimated amount (in cubic metres) discharged. For discharge of cargo residues the discharge start and stop positions shall be recorded in addition to the foregoing; .3 The entry for each completed incineration shall include date and time and position of the ship (latitude and longitude) at the start and stop of incineration, categories of garbage incinerated and the estimated amount incinerated for each category in cubic metres; .4 The entry for each discharge to a port reception facility or another ship shall include date and time of discharge, port or facility or name of ship, categories of garbage discharged, and the estimated amount discharged for each category in cubic metres;

The items common to all three are date and time, category, and the estimated amount in cubic metres. What differs is the shape of the position. A discharge to sea takes one position, but for cargo residues both the start and stop positions are entered. An incineration takes date, time and position at both start and stop. A delivery ashore takes the port or facility, or the name of the receiving ship, in place of a position. Paragraph 3.2 of the text in force from 2013 bundled all three into one sentence, and the amendment pinned down different items for each case.

Retention runs two years from the last entry and the receipts are bundled with it

.3 The Garbage Record Book shall be kept on board the ship or the fixed or floating platform, and in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times. This document shall be preserved for a period of at least two years from the date of the last entry made in it;

This is paragraph 3.3 of the text in force from 2013. MEPC.277(70) renumbered it as 3.5 and inserted along with receipts obtained from reception facilities after Garbage Record Book. Receipts from reception facilities carry the same retention duty as the record book. The period is two years from the date of the last entry. The clock starts on the last entry, not on the day the book was filled.

Garbage lost by accident is entered as well. This is paragraph 3.6 as replaced by MEPC.360(79).

.6 In the event of any discharge or accidental loss referred to in regulation 7 of this annex an entry shall be made in the Garbage Record Book, or in the case of any ship of less than 100 gross tonnage, an entry shall be made in the ship’s official logbook of the date and time of occurrence, port or position of the ship at time of occurrence (latitude, longitude and water depth if known), the reason for the discharge or loss, details of the items discharged or lost, categories of garbage discharged or lost, estimated amount for each category in cubic metres, reasonable precautions taken to prevent or minimize such discharge or accidental loss and general remarks.

Exceptional discharges and accidental losses under regulation 7 go into the record book. A ship of less than 100 gross tonnage, which has no record book, enters them in the official logbook. This threshold came down from 400 to 100 together with the record book threshold. More is entered than for an ordinary entry. Water depth, the reason, details of the items and the precautions taken all go in. Where lost fishing gear poses a significant threat to the marine environment or navigation, regulation 10.6 requires a report to the flag State. Where it happens in waters under the jurisdiction of a coastal State, that State is reported to as well.

The waiver is at the Administration’s discretion and inspection is the port State’s right

4 The Administration may waive the requirements for Garbage Record Books for: .1 Any ship engaged on voyages of one (1) hour or less in duration which is certified to carry 15 or more persons; or .2 Fixed or floating platforms.

Only two cases can be waived. A ship certified for 15 or more persons on voyages of one hour or less, and platforms. The words are may waive, so the waiver exists only once the Administration grants it. There is no waiver provision for the management plan or the placard.

Regulation 10.5 lets the competent authority of a Party inspect the record book or the official logbook in port and make a copy of any entry. It may require the master to certify that the copy is a true copy. A certified copy is admissible in judicial proceedings as evidence. The inspection has to be done as expeditiously as possible without unduly delaying the ship.

Worth confirming

This article reads Regulation 10 and its appendix in resolution MEPC.201(62) together with the changes made by MEPC.277(70), MEPC.314(74) and MEPC.360(79). Their entry into force dates are, in order, 1 January 2013, 1 March 2018, 1 October 2020 and 1 May 2024. Later amendments and consolidated editions are not covered.

The column layout of the record book form is in appendix II, the guidance for writing the management plan is in the guidelines developed by the Organization, and the approval criteria for electronic record books are in MEPC.312(74). How the flag State has promulgated the consolidated text and its procedure for approving an electronic record book have to be confirmed with that flag State.

You can consult the cited source documents

These links lead to the official publishers of the documents discussed here. Match the edition and provisions cited in the article, and check subsequent amendments and flag-state implementation before applying them.

The Bellbook ship document library keeps the current edition of the garbage management plan and the reception facility receipts where ship and office both see them.

Store each ship's plan revisions and reception facility receipts and check them from the office at once. The record book itself stays on board in the form the Administration has set, and Bellbook takes care of the documents that sit beside it.

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