Ships subject to preventive measures
Included vessels
This chapter shall apply—
to a ship of United States registry or nationality, or one operated under the authority of the United States, wherever located;
with respect to Annexes I and II to the Convention, to a ship, other than a ship referred to in paragraph (1), while in the navigable waters of the United States;
with respect to the requirements of Annex V to the Convention, to a ship, other than a ship referred to in paragraph (1), while in the navigable waters or the exclusive economic zone of the United States;
with respect to regulations prescribed under section 1905 of this title, any port or terminal in the United States; and
with respect to Annex VI to the Convention, and other than with respect to a ship referred to in paragraph (1)—
to a ship that is in a port, shipyard, offshore terminal, or the internal waters of the United States;
to a ship that is bound for, or departing from, a port, shipyard, offshore terminal, or the internal waters of the United States, and is in—
the navigable waters or the exclusive economic zone of the United States;
an emission control area designated pursuant to section 1903 of this title; or
any other area that the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary and each State in which any part of the area is located, has designated by order as being an area from which emissions from ships are of concern with respect to protection of public health, welfare, or the environment;
to a ship that is entitled to fly the flag of, or operating under the authority of, a party to Annex VI, and is in—
the navigable waters or the exclusive economic zone of the United States;
an emission control area designated under section 1903 of this title; or
any other area that the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary and each State in which any part of the area is located, has designated by order as being an area from which emissions from ships are of concern with respect to protection of public health, welfare, or the environment; and
to any other ship, to the extent that, and in the same manner as, such ship may be boarded by the Secretary to implement or enforce any other law of the United States or Annex I, II, or V of the Convention, and is in—
the exclusive economic zone of the United States;
the navigable waters of the United States;
an emission control area designated under section 1903 of this title; or
any other area that the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary and each State in which any part of the area is located, has designated by order as being an area from which emissions from ships are of concern with respect to protection of public health, welfare, or the environment.
Excluded vessels; discharge requirements
Except as provided in paragraph (3), this chapter shall not apply to—
a ship of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (2); or
any other ship specifically excluded by the MARPOL Protocol or the Antarctic Protocol.
A ship described in this paragraph is a ship that is owned or operated by the Secretary, with respect to the Coast Guard, or by the Secretary of a military department, and that, as determined by the Secretary concerned—
has unique military design, construction, manning, or operating requirements; and
cannot fully comply with the discharge requirements of Annex V to the Convention because compliance is not technologically feasible or would impair the operations or operational capability of the ship.
Notwithstanding any provision of the MARPOL Protocol, the requirements of Annex V to the Convention shall apply to all ships referred to in subsection (a) other than those described in paragraph (2).
A ship that is described in paragraph (2) shall limit the discharge into the sea of garbage as follows:
The discharge into the sea of plastics, including synthetic ropes, synthetic fishing nets, plastic garbage bags, and incinerator ashes from plastic products that may contain toxic chemicals or heavy metals, or the residues thereof, is prohibited.
Garbage consisting of the following material may be discharged into the sea, subject to subparagraph (C):
A non-floating slurry of seawater, paper, cardboard, or food waste that is capable of passing through a screen with openings no larger than 12 millimeters in diameter.
Metal and glass that have been shredded and bagged (in compliance with clause (i)) so as to ensure negative buoyancy.
With regard to a submersible, nonplastic garbage that has been compacted and weighted to ensure negative buoyancy.
Ash from incinerators or other thermal destruction systems not containing toxic chemicals, heavy metals, or incompletely burned plastics.
Garbage described in subparagraph (B)(ii)(I) may not be discharged within 3 nautical miles of land.
Garbage described in subclauses (II), (III), and (IV) of subparagraph (B)(ii) may not be discharged within 12 nautical miles of land.
Notwithstanding subparagraph (C), a ship described in paragraph (2) that is not equipped with garbage-processing equipment sufficient to meet the requirements of subparagraph (B)(ii) may discharge garbage that has not been processed in accordance with subparagraph (B)(ii) if such discharge occurs as far as practicable from the nearest land, but in any case not less than—
12 nautical miles from the nearest land, in the case of food wastes and non-floating garbage, including paper products, cloth, glass, metal, bottles, crockery, and similar refuse; and
25 nautical miles from the nearest land, in the case of all other garbage.
This paragraph shall not apply when discharge of any garbage is necessary for the purpose of securing the safety of the ship, the health of the ship’s personnel, or saving life at sea. In the event that there is such a discharge, the discharge shall be reported to the Secretary, with respect to the Coast Guard, or the Secretary concerned.
This paragraph shall not apply during time of war or a national emergency declared by the President or Congress.
Application to other persons
Discharges in special areas
Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), not later than
Subject to subparagraph (B), any ship described in subparagraph (C) may discharge, without regard to the special area requirements of Regulation 5 of Annex V to the Convention, the following non-plastic, non-floating garbage:
A slurry of seawater, paper, cardboard, or food waste that is capable of passing through a screen with openings no larger than 12 millimeters in diameter.
Metal and glass that have been shredded and bagged so as to ensure negative buoyancy.
With regard to a submersible, nonplastic garbage that has been compacted and weighted to ensure negative buoyancy.
Garbage described in subparagraph (A)(i) may not be discharged within 3 nautical miles of land.
Garbage described in clauses (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph (A) may not be discharged within 12 nautical miles of land.
This paragraph applies to any ship that is owned or operated by the Department of the Navy that, as determined by the Secretary of the Navy—
has unique military design, construction, manning, or operating requirements; and
cannot fully comply with the special area requirements of Regulation 5 of Annex V to the Convention because compliance is not technologically feasible or would impair the operations or operational capability of the ship.
Not later than
Subparagraph (A) applies to surface ships that are owned or operated by the Department of the Navy that the Secretary plans to decommission during the period beginning on
At the same time that the Secretary publishes standards under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a list of the ships covered by subparagraph (B).
Regulations
Compliance by excluded vessels
The Secretary of the Navy shall develop and, as appropriate, support the development of technologies and practices for solid waste management aboard ships owned or operated by the Department of the Navy, including technologies and practices for the reduction of the waste stream generated aboard such ships, that are necessary to ensure the compliance of such ships with subsection (b) of this section.
Notwithstanding any effective date of the application of this section to a ship, the provisions of Annex V to the Convention and subsection (b)(3)(B)(i) of this section with respect to the disposal of plastic shall apply to ships equipped with plastic processors required for the long-term collection and storage of plastic aboard ships of the Navy upon the installation of such processors in such ships.
Except when necessary for the purpose of securing the safety of the ship, the health of the ship’s personnel, or saving life at sea, it shall be a violation of this chapter for a ship referred to in subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section that is owned or operated by the Department of the Navy:
With regard to a submersible, to discharge buoyant garbage or plastic.
With regard to a surface ship, to discharge plastic contaminated by food during the last 3 days before the ship enters port.
With regard to a surface ship, to discharge plastic, except plastic that is contaminated by food, during the last 20 days before the ship enters port.
The Secretary of Defense shall publish in the Federal Register:
Each year, the amount and nature of the discharges in special areas, not otherwise authorized under this chapter, during the preceding year from ships referred to in subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section owned or operated by the Department of the Navy.
Beginning on
Waiver authority
Noncommercial shipping standards
Savings clause
Source
(Pub. L. 96–478, § 3,Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Effective Date of 1987 Amendment
Effective Date
Compliance With Annex V to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973
Sense of Congress.—
It is the sense of Congress that it should be an objective of the Navy to achieve full compliance with Annex V to the Convention as part of the Navy’s development of ships that are environmentally sound.
In this subsection and subsection (c), the terms ‘Convention’ and ‘ship’ have the meanings given such terms in section 2(a) of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (33 U.S.C. 1901(a)).
Installation Schedule for Plastics Processor Equipment Aboard Ships; Request for Proposals for Equipment
Not later than
Not later than
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Not later than