The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships either due to operational or accidental reasons.
Initially adopted in 1973, the MARPOL convention has grown in prominence due to an increased emphasis on environmental protection. As such, breaches of MARPOL regulations can represent the largest uninsured risk for ship owners and managers alike.
In locations where MARPOL regulations are strictly enforced, such as the United States of America, violations of the regulations can lead to multi-million dollar fines (sometimes referred to as “magic pipe” claims).
So, it’s vital that ship owners and managers like you do all they can to ensure that they are fully compliant with the current MARPOL regulations as well as being ready to implement future legislation.
P&I insurance cover for MARPOL violations is discretionary depending upon circumstances so members need to be able to demonstrate they are taking adequate proactive measures to be compliant with MARPOL. Brookes Bell has investigated numerous cases on behalf of P&I clubs and members to assist with independent advice on such cases.
Investigating MARPOL-related incidents
Should the worst happen and you find yourself in a MARPOL-related incident, Brookes Bell can help.
Our marine engineers, surveyors and consultants specialise in the forensic investigation of marine casualties and incidents on a worldwide basis and can provide evidence in court and arbitrations as expert witnesses on your behalf.
Preventing MARPOL-related incidents
Take a proactive approach to MARPOL compliance with the assistance of Brookes Bell’s expertise.
Thanks to their experience in investigating numerous pollution incidents to their ultimate conclusions, our experts are ideally placed to advise ship owners on measures, processes and procedures to prevent future MARPOL incidents.
Our proactive MARPOL work includes MARPOL audits.
MARPOL audits
Brookes Bell has developed a programme of MARPOL auditing which has been successfully delivered on a large number of vessels.
It’s a MARPOL audit programme which is considered to be industry-leading, providing advice that’ll take your vessel beyond the baseline of regulatory compliance.
Our MARPOL audits include on-board surveys, which use a pragmatic, risk-based approach to identify both weak areas and strong areas in relation to current MARPOL guidelines.
MARPOL compliance programmes
In addition to our MARPOL audits, we are also able to develop a MARPOL compliance programme for your vessel.
We will provide on-board training to ships’ staff, as well as shore-based training to both senior seagoing and office-based management personnel to create a MARPOL compliance programme that will give you the reassurance you need in relation to MARPOL regulations.
If you need support navigating MARPOL regulations, Brookes Bell can help. Speak to us today for more information.