A Success Story? Fifty Years of MARPOL

Abstract

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78) is the core of a comprehensive international legal regime for the prevention of pollution from ships. Over the past fifty years, it has developed a dynamic and comprehensive set of regulations, continuously amended and updated by sixty-six resolutions of Marine Environment Protection Committee and tacitly accepted by the Contracting Parties. In order to supplement and effectively apply the MARPOL requirements, the International Maritime Organization has produced extensive secondary legislation in the form of codes and guidelines, which by reference are incorporated into the Convention as binding law. MARPOL 73/78 has proven to be a suitable instrument for largely preventing discharges of harmful substances from ship operations and, in the event of accidents, for limiting the release quantity. However, it remains necessary to constantly adapt the regulations to new developments, in particular further reduction of CO2 emissions in shipping.