2. Marine Pollution

At its sixty-eighth session on 11–15 May, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC-68) adopted the environmental requirements of the International Code for ships operating in polar waters (Polar Code) and the associated amendments to the MARPOL Convention to make the Polar Code mandatory. In this respect, it might be interesting to mention that in the Antarctic area, Regulation 43 of the MARPOL Annex I: Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil has specific requirements for the use or carriage of oil in the Antarctic area, and it prohibits ships from carrying heavy grade oil on board as ballast. The MEPC-68 also adopted amendments to Regulation 12 of MARPOL Annex I, concerning tanks for oil residues (sludge). The amendments update and revise the regulation to ensure oil residues are properly disposed of. Through these amendments, Regulation 12 has been restructured and simplified to incorporate existing unified interpretations relating to the means of disposal, interconnections, and tank cleaning arrangements.