The shipboard oil pollution emergency plan (SOPEP) is required to be provided to the ship under regulation 37 of Annex-I to the MARPOL 73/78.

A SOPEP is compulsory  for all ships of 400 tons gross tonnage and above (oil tankers of more than 150 GT). IMO has published guidelines for the development of a Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan on the basis of which SOPEP is to be prepared.

Its purpose is to advise master and others onboard how to react in case of an oil spill and to prevent or at least mitigate negative effect on the environment. The plan contains operational aspect for various oil spill scenarios and lists communication, information to be used in case of such incidents.

The plan consists generally of 4 sections with mandatory contents and its appendices with additional information such as contact addresses and data plus a set of certain drawings for easy reference for the master. The plan may also contain additional non-mandatory information. It must be tailored carefully for a particular ship and company procedures and policies. Specific instructions to be incorporated according to the ship type, purpose and company requirement. Especially for tankers, action in regard to the cargo tanks and cargo handling have to be included in the instructions.

The contents of the plan have to be fully inline with instructions given by the company within ISM safety management manual.

 

Reference

“SHIP SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION” BY GAUTAM SEN