Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Resolutions - Assembly - IMO Resolution A.1052(27) – Procedures for Port State Control, 2011 – (Adopted on 30 November 2011) - Annex – Procedures for Port State Control, 2011 - Appendix 5 – Guidelines for Discharge Requirements Under Annexes I and II of MARPOL - 3 Inspection of crude oil washing (COW) operations
3 Inspection of crude oil washing (COW) operations
3.1 Regulations 18, 33 and 35 of MARPOL Annex I, inter alia, require that crude oil washing of cargo tanks be performed on certain categories of crude carriers. A sufficient number of tanks shall be washed in order that ballast water is put only in cargo tanks which have been crude oil washed. The remaining cargo tanks shall be washed on a rotational basis for sludge control.
3.2 Port State Authorities may carry out inspections to ensure that crude oil washing is performed by all crude carriers either required to have a COW system or where the owner or operator chooses to install a COW system in order to comply with regulation 18 of MARPOL Annex I. In addition compliance should be ensured with the operational requirements set out in the revised Specifications for the Design, Operation and Control of Crude Oil Washing Systems (resolution A.446(XI), as amended). This can best be done in the ports where the cargo is unloaded.
3.3 Parties should be aware that the inspection referred to in paragraph 3.2 may also lead to the identification of a pollution risk, necessitating additional action by the port State as set out in chapter 3 of these Procedures.
3.4 Detailed guidelines for in-port inspections of crude oil washing procedures have been approved and published by IMO (Crude Oil Washing Systems, revised edition, 1983) and are set out in part 4 to appendix 3.
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