The management and control of marine pollution is steadily assuming a higher priority for shipowners and masters as governments, official bodies and politicians focus increasingly on MARPOL infringements and threaten key personnel with criminal prosecution.

However, the industry should not simply react to authorities' requirements but take a positive approach to avoid damaging the marine environment during operations.

Marine Pollution Prevention Pocket Checklist, jointly published by Lloyd's Register and the UK P&I Club, aims to provide practical advice for owners, operators and particularly seafarers to help them comply with the MARPOL Convention and prepare for Port State Control inspections - given a context of commercial disruption, fines and the growing threat of criminal proceedings against key personnel and the spectre of imprisonment.

A measure of quality

PSC rankings provide the industry with a tangible measure of the quality of the world’s tonnage. PSC authorities have become increasingly effective at squeezing sub-standard operators out of the market, particularly through targeted inspection campaigns. The Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding and the US Coast Guard’s annual reports give the industry an effective measuring stick for gauging performance and deciding on methods of improvement.

However, marine pollution and the criminalisation of seafarers have become increasingly intertwined in recent months. Increased vigilance, particularly by USCG and European coastal state authorities, has revealed ‘magic pipes’ to bypass oily water separators and the falsification of oil record book entries.