TANGGAPAN NG KOMANDANTE
(OFFICE OF THE COMMANDANT)
PUNONGHIMPILAN TANOD BAYBAYIN NG PILIPINAS
(HEADQUARTERS, PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
139 25th Street, Port Area
Manila

25 October 2005

MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR)
:
N U M B E R . . . . . .05-2005)

SHIPBOARD OIL POLLUTION EMERGENCY PLAN FOR PHILIPPINE REGISTERED VESSELS

I. AUTHORITY:

a. Presidential Decree No. 5173
b. Presidential Decree No. 600
c. Presidential Decree No. 979
d. Regulation 26 of Annex I MARPOL 73/78
e. Executive Order No. 292

2. PURPOSE:

The purpose of this Memorandum Circular is to provide implementing guidelines for the development of a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan for ships.

3. SCOPE:

This Memorandum Circular shall apply to all Philippine registered vessels engaged in international or domestic trade.

4. DEFINITION OF TERMS:

a. Oil Tanker - a ship constructed or adapted primarily to carry oil in bulk in its cargo spaces and includes combination carriers or any “chemical tanker” constructed or adapted primarily to carry cargo of noxious liquid substances in bulk or when it is carrying cargo other than noxious liquid substances but part of it is oil in bulk.

b. Ship - vessel other than an oil tanker of any type operating in the marine environment and includes floating crafts and fixed or floating platforms.

c. Incident - an event involving the actual or probable discharge into the sea of any harmful substance, or effluents containing such substance.

d. Plan – refers to the Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan mandated by this Circular.

5. POLICY:

All oil tankers of 150 gross tonnages and above and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 gross tonnages and above shall carry on board a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (SOPEP) approved by the PCG.

6. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

a. Ship Operators/Oil Companies

Developed shipboard oil pollution emergency plans of every ship shall contain at least the following items:

(1) Procedures to be observed by the master or other persons having charge of the ship in case of an oil pollution incident.

(2) List of authorities or persons to contact in the event of an oil pollution incident.

(3) Detailed description of actions to be taken immediately by persons on board in order to reduce or control the discharge of oil as a result of the incident.

(4) Procedures and point of contact on the ship for purposes of coordinating shipboard activities with national and local authorities in combating pollution.

(5) Necessary assistance to the master in meeting the demands of a major discharge should it involved in one.

(6) Provisions on:

(a) Coastal State report on actual and probable discharge

(b) List of persons to contact in the port and ships.

(c) Coastal State contacts in agencies or officials of administration responsible for receiving and processing reports.

(d) Steps to control discharge during operational spills through on-board resources or hiring clean-up company.

(e) Priority actions in shipboard emergencies.

(f) Ship’s lay-out and plans appendices.

(g) National and local coordination entities and their roles in case of emergencies falling within their jurisdiction.

b. Ships

(1) Ensure the availability of the plan for inspection and evaluation at all times.

(2) Conduct regular drills/exercises and periodic review of the plan at least yearly to keep up with changes in local laws and policies.

(3) After using the plan in an incident, evaluate it and whenever necessary to suit the current condition.

7. PROCEDURE:

a. Ship operators shall have a copy of the proposed Plan in writing to the Commander, MEPCOM or the Coast Guard District Commander concerned as the case may be for evaluation and approval prior to its implementation aboardship (Annex II – Format of a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan).

b. No alteration or revision on the plan shall be made without the approval of the PCG.

c. The Plan shall be effective for a period of three (3) years from the date of its approval and may be renewed prior to the expiration of this period by observing the procedure prescribed in this Circular. The existing plan shall remain effective until the approval of the proposed modified Plan.

d. The Plan shall cease to be valid if significant alterations or revisions are made without the approval of the PCG.

8. PENALTY CLAUSE:

Shipowners through the master or agent, whose vessels have been found to have no Plan on board, shall be administratively liable and shall be subject to a fine of Ten Thousand Pesos (P10, 000.00).

The Shipowner shall reimburse the master/agent the amount defrayed by the latter in payment of the administrative penalty. In case of inability of the master/agent to pay the penalty, the Shipowner shall be subsidiarily liable. The administrative penalty mentioned in the preceding paragraphs is without prejudice to other sanctions that the PCG may impose for violation of other rules and regulations arising from the same incident.

9. REPEALING CLAUSE:

Memorandum Circular No. 08-2001 dated 20 July 2001 is hereby repealed.

10. EFFECTIVITY CLAUSE:

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect after fifteen (15) days after publication in the Official Gazette or in the newspaper of national circulation in the Philippines.

ARTHUR N GOSINGAN
VADM PCG
Commandant, PCG

ANNEX I

FORMAT OF A SHIPBOARD OIL POLLUTION EMERGENCY

INDEX OF SECTIONS

Section Title

1…………………………. Preamble

2…………………………. Reporting Requirements

• 2.1 When to Report

• 2.2 Information Required

• 2.3 Contact Persons

3…………………………. Steps to Control Discharge

• 3.1 Operational Spills

• 3.2 Spills Resulting from
Casualties

4………………………….. National and Local Coordination

5………………………….. Additional Information

Appendices

INTRODUCTION

1. This Plan was prepared in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 26 of Annex I of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, l973, as modified by the Protocol of l978 relating thereto.

2. The purpose of the Plan is to provide assistance to the master and officers on board the ship with respect to the steps to be taken during a pollution incident or whenever there is a threat of such incident.

3. The Plan contains all information and operational instructions required by the Regulation. The appendices contain the names and contact numbers of all contact persons referred to in the Plan, and other reference materials that may be helpful in the event of an oil pollution incident.

4. This Plan has been approved by the Philippine Coast Guard and, except as provided below, no alteration or revision thereof shall be valid unless duly approved by the PCG.

5. The appendices need not be approved by the Philippine Coast Guard. The appendices shall be maintained and updated by the owners, operators and manager.

SECTION 1: PREAMBLE

1. This section contains an explanation of the purpose and use of the plan and indicates how the shipboard plan relates to other shore-based plans.

2. This section includes information relating to the following:

2. 1 Time to Report

This section shall contain information on the time to report actual and/or probable discharges.

2. 2 Information required

This section contains information required for the initial report and supplementary or follow-up reports. The reporting format reporting format is illustrated in Table 1.

SS ( BRIEF DETAILS OF WEATHER AND SEA CONDITIONS)
Wind Swell
Direction: Speed: Direction: Height:
TT (CONTACT NUMBERS OF SHIP’S OWNER/OPERATOR/AGENT)

UU(SHIP SIZE AND TYPE)
Length: Breadth: Draught: Type:
XX(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Brief Details of the Incident Need for Assistance

Actions Taken No. of Crew & Details of Injuries

Details From P&I CLUB & Local Correspondent Other Information:

Footnote: The alphabetical reference letters in the above format are based on the “General principles for ship reporting requirements, including guidelines for reporting incidents involving dangerous goods, harmful substances, and/or marine pollutants” adopted by the International Maritime Organization in Resolution A.648 (16). The letters do not necessarily follow the complete alphabetical sequence as certain letters are used to designate information required for other standard reporting formats, e.g. those used to transmit route information.

2.3 Contact Persons
This section shall refer the Plan user to Appendices separately listing contacts
for the following:

a. Coastal state contacts

b. port contacts

c. ship interest contacts

A format of how this information shall be presented is covered in the appendices.

SECTION 3: PROCEDURE TO OBSERVE IN CONTROLLING A DISCHARGE

3. This section shall ensure that the provisions of Regulation 26 of Annex 1 of MARPOL 73/78 regarding procedures to be observed in controlling a discharge are complied with and shall include information relating to the following:

3.1 Operational Spills

This section shall contain ship-specific information concerning measures to be taken in response to an operational spill. As a minimum requirement, procedures to address spills resulting from pipe leakage, tank overflow and hull leakage shall be included.

3.2 Spills resulting from casualties

This section shall contain ship-specific and company-specific information concerning actions to take in addressing the following casualty scenarios: grounding, fire/explosion, collision, hull failure, and excessive list among others. This section shall also provide information on priority actions to be taken.

Information shall be given in the form of a checklist whenever applicable. Information relating to response activities and personnel responsibilities shall be presented in a similar format as given in Table II below:

TABLE 2

Operational Action to be taken Designated Crew Member
Spill Type (State rank/rating only)

Where appropriate this section shall provide a list of information required for making damage stability and damage longitudinal strength assessments.

SECTION 4: NATIONAL AND LOCAL COORDINATION

4. This section shall contain information which may be helpful in assisting the master in initiating actions by coastal state and local government. Dependent on the ship’s trade, this section shall include information that will assist the master in responding to the incident in case the response organized by shore authorities is inadequate.

SECTION 5: ADDITONAL INFORMATION

5. This section shall contain additional information included in the Plan at the owner’s discretion:

5.1 Plan review procedures

5.2 Training and drill procedures

5.3 Record-keeping procedures

5.4 Public affairs policy of the owners/operators

5.5 Others

APPENDICES

The following appendices shall be attached to the Plan, as a minimum requirement:

a. List of coastal State contacts

b. List of port contacts as appropriate

c. List of ship interest contacts

d. Ship’s plan and drawings

Additionally the following information may be attached:

a. Summary flowchart (consideration shall be given to adapting the flowchart for bulkhead display on board.

b. Information relevant to the roles and responsibilities of national and local authorities

c. Other reference materials.

TABLE 1

SHIPBOARD OIL POLLUTION EMERGE

SHIP INTEREST CONTACTS
I. Owner/Operator Contacts
Name of Institution/ Address Means of Remarks
Representative Communication

Phone
Fax
Mobile
Telex
E-mail
INMARSAT
B. Other Ship Interest Contacts
Name of Institution/
Representative Address Means of Remarks
Communication
1. Charter Phone
Fax
Mobile
Telex
E-mail
INMARSAT
2. Local Agent Phone
Fax
Mobile
Telex
E-mail
INMARSAT
3. Phone
Fax
Mobile
Telex
E-mail
INMARSAT

SAMPLE FORMAT FOR INITIAL NOTIFICATION

AA (SHIP NAME, CALL, SIGN, FLAG)

D D H H M M

CC (POSITION, LAT, LONG) OR DD (BEARING,
DISTANCE
FROM LANDMARK)
N S

d d m m d d d

E W

d d d m m N Miles

EE (COURSE) FF (SPEED, KNOTS)

d d d Kn Kn 1/10

LL (INTENDED TRACK)

MM (RADIO STATIONS (S) GUARDED)

NN (DATE AND TIME OF NEXT REPORT, UTC)

D D H H M M

PP (TYPE AND QUALITY OF CARGO/BUNKERS ON BOARD)

QQ (BRIEF DEATILS OF DEFECTS/DEFICIENCES/DAMAGE)

RR (BRIEF DETAILS OF THE POLLUTION, INCLUDING AN ESTIMATE OF THE QUANTITY LOST)

ANNEX II

SHIPBOARD OIL POLLUTION EMERGENCY PLAN-SUMMARY FLOWCHART

This section shall contain a chart outlining the course of action that shipboard personnel are required to observe in responding to an oil pollution emergency based on the guidelines published by the PCG. The diagram need not be exhaustive and shall not be used as a sole reference in response. Consideration shall be given for the inclusion of specific references to the Plan. The steps are designed to assist ship personnel in actions to stop or minimize the discharge of oil and mitigate its effects. These steps fall into two main categories namely, reporting and action.

DISCHARGE OF OIL
Probable or Actual

ASSESSMENT OF THE
NATURE OF THE INCIDENT

TIME TO REPORT
• All probable and actual spills

MODES OF REPORTING
• By the most expeditious means through coastal radio station
• Designated ship movement reporting station
• Rescue Coordination Center (at sea)
• Through the most expeditious and accessible means to local authorities

CONTACT PERSONS
• Nearest coastal State
• Harbor and terminal operators (in port)
• Shipowner’s managers, P & I insurer
• Head Charterer; cargo owner
• Refer to contact lists

MATTERS TO BE REPORTED
• Initial Report
• Follow-up reports
• Characteristics of oil spilled
• Cargo/ballast/bunker dispositions
• Weather and sea conditions
• Slick movement
• Assistance required
 Salvage
 Lightening capacity
 Mechanical equipment
 External strike team
 Chemical dispersant/degresant

Measures to take in order to minimize the escape of oil and threat to the marine environment:

NAVIGATIONAL MEASURES SEAMAN MEASURES

• Alter course/ position and/or speed

• Change of list and/or trim

• Anchoring

• Setting aground

• Initiate towage

• Assess safe haven requirements

• Weather/tides/swell forecasting

• Slick monitoring

• Record of events and communication taken

• Safety assessment and precaution

• Advice on priority countermeasures preventive measures

• Damage stability and stress considerations

• Ballasting/ de-ballasting

• Internal cargo transfer operations

• Emergency ship-to-ship transfer of cargo

• Set up shipboard response for:
 Leak sealing

 Fire fighting

 Handling of shipboard response equipment
(if available)

 Etc.

STEPS TO INITIATE EXTERNAL RESPONSE

• Refer to coastal Port State listing for local assistance

• Refer to ship interest contact list

• External clean-up resources required

• Continued monitoring of activities