Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP)
Regulation 37 of MARPOL Annex I, as amended by Resolution MEPC 117(52) adopted on 15 October 2004, requires every oil tanker of 150 gt and above and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 gt and above to carry an oil pollution emergency plan approved by the Administration.
The shipboard oil pollution emergency plan is prepared with the above requirement in mind. The purpose of such a plan is to give the master guidance on the action to be taken if an oil spill occurs or is threatened, whether from routine operations or after a major incident such as a collision, fire or explosion. The model plan is based on the guidelines issued by IMO in resolution MEPC 54(32) and amended by MEPC 86(44).
Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan (SMPEP)
Regulation 37 of the MARPOL Annex I, as amended by Resolution MEPC 117(52) adopted on 15 October 2004, requires every oil tanker of 150 gt and above and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 gt and above to carry a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP) approved by the Administration. Regulation 17 of Annex II of MARPOL requires every ship of 150gt and above that is certified to carry noxious liquid substances in bulk to carry on board a pollution emergency plan for noxious liquid substances not later than 1st January 2003. Ships to which both regulations apply may have a combined plan called a Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan, or SMPEP.
This model shipboard marine pollution emergency plan is prepared with the above requirements in mind. The purpose of a ship having such a plan is to give the master guidance on the action to be taken if a spill of oil or a noxious liquid substance occurs or is threatened, whether from an error during routine operations or after a major incident such as a collision, fire or explosion. The model plan is based on the SMPEP guidelines in resolution MEPC.85(44) dated 13th April 2000. A plan prepared according to this model will also satisfy the requirements for oil pollution emergency plans and relevant oil pollution reporting procedures that are contained in Articles 3 and 4, respectively, of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC), 1990.
