| International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 | |
|---|---|
 MARPOL 73/78 ratifying states (as of April 2008) | |
| Effective | 2 October 1983 |
| Parties | 158[1] |
| Part of a series on |
| Pollution |
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The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" (short for "marine pollution") is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions.[2] It was developed by the International Maritime Organization with an objective to minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution.
The original MARPOL was signed on 17 February 1973, but did not come into force at the signing date. The current convention is a combination of 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol,[3] which entered into force on 2 October 1983. As of January 2018, 156 states are parties to the convention, being flag states of 99.42% of the world's shipping tonnage.[1]
All ships flagged under countries that are signatories to MARPOL are subject to its requirements, regardless of where they sail, and member nations are responsible for vessels registered on their national ship registry.[4]
- ^ a b "Status of Treaties" (PDF), IMO, 16 December 2019, archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2020, retrieved 31 December 2019
- ^ "What is MARPOL Convention? IMO Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships".
- ^ "Chronology & Search". MAX1 Studies. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
- ^ Copeland, Claudia (6 February 2008). "Cruise Ship Pollution: Background, Laws and Regulations, and Key Issues" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2013.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain