1. Oil residue (sludge) service tank listed in the Supplement to IOPP Certificate

MEPC.187(59), amendments to MARPOL Annex I, which will enter into force on 1 January 2011, defines that "Oil residue (sludge) tank means a tank which holds oil residue (sludge) from which sludge may be disposed directly through the standard discharge connection or any other approved means of disposal".

Oil residue (sludge) service tanks (Waste Oil Service Tank, Waste Oil Settling Tank, etc) which holds sludge prior to incineration and has no connection to the standard discharge connection through sludge pump had been understood as they were not "Oil residue (sludge) tanks" and had been listed under paragraph 3.2.3 "Tank for mixing oil residues with fuel oil" of the Supplement to International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificates (IOPP Certificate). However, the oil residue (sludge) service tanks are now listed under paragraph 3.1 as "Oil residue (sludge) tanks" of the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate issued for new building ships as ClassNK incorporated the definition in MEPC.187(59).

Oil residue (sludge) service tanks listed under paragraph 3.2.3 of the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate for existing ships need to be relocated in paragraph 3.1 of the Supplement when the Supplement is reissued to be in a new form as shown in the following item 2. (Oil residue (sludge) service tanks may be relocated in paragraph 3.1 after occasional survey for this purpose if so requested. If it is done on or after 1 January 2011, the IOPP Supplement will be issued in the new form as mentioned in the following item 2. )

2. New form of the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate

MEPC.187(59) partly amends form of the Supplement to the IOPP Certificate. The Supplement reissued on or after 1 January 2011 should be in the new form. For existing ships having the Supplement in the former form, the Supplement in the new form will be issued at the first periodical survey or occasional survey (MARPOL Annex I) on or after 1 January 2011 in accordance with MSC-MEPC.5/Circ.6.

(To be continued)