Hong Kong Regulations

MERCHANT SHIPPING (PREVENTION OF OIL POLLUTION) REGULATIONS - REGULATION 13

Oil tankers

(1) Subject to regulation 11 this regulation applies to-

   (a)  every Hong Kong oil tanker; and

   (b)  every other oil tanker when it is within the waters of Hong Kong.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3) of this regulation an oil tanker to which this
regulation applies shall not discharge any oil or oily mixture

(except those for which provision is made in regulation 12) into any part of
the sea unless all the following conditions are satisfied-

   (a)  the tanker is proceeding on a voyage;

   (b)  the tanker is not within a special area;

   (c)  the tanker is more than 50 miles from the nearest land;

   (d)  the instantaneous rate of discharge of oil content does not exceed 30
        litres per mile; (L.N. 641 of 1994)

   (e)  the total quantity of oil discharged into the sea does not exceed
        1/30000 of the total quantity of the particular cargo of which the
        residue formed a part, or, in the case of existing tankers, the total
        quantity of oil discharged does not exceed 1/15000 of the total
        quantity of the particular cargo of which the residue formed a part;
        and

   (f)  the tanker has in operation an oil discharge monitoring and control
        system and a slop tank arrangement as required by regulation 15.

(3) Paragraph (2) shall not apply to the discharge of-

   (a)  clean or segregated ballast; or

   (b)  an unprocessed oily mixture which without dilution has an oil content
        not exceeding 15 ppm, which does not originate from cargo room bilges
        and which is not mixed with oil cargo residues. (L.N. 177 of 1991)

(4) No discharge into the sea shall contain chemicals or other substances in
quantities or concentrations which are hazardous to the marine environment or
chemicals or other substances introduced for the purposes of circumventing the
conditions of discharge prescribed by this regulation.

(5) Insofar as any oil or oily mixture has not been unloaded as cargo and may
not be discharged into the sea in compliance with paragraph

(2) of this regulation, it shall be retained on board and shall only be
discharged into reception facilities.