Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 551
The Regulations apply to ships carrying noxious liquid substances in bulk. They apply to United Kingdom ships wherever they may be and to other ships when they are in United Kingdom waters.
Noxious liquid substances are divided into four categories, A, B, C and D, in accordance with the severity of the hazard which they present to human health and the marine environment, Category A presenting the worst hazard and Category D the least.
Discharges into the sea of noxious liquid substances or mixtures containing them are prohibited; and discharges into the sea of liquid wastes containing residues of such substances are strictly controlled (Regulations 3, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13).
The worse the hazard, which the category of substances presents, the stricter are the controls. Controls are also more stringent in two special areas, namely the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea.
The Regulations also prohibit (regulation 14) the discharge of liquid substances, which, though not identified as noxious, have not been evaluated and found to be harmless to the marine environment, except with written permission from the government of the state or states concerned.
The Regulations require ships to follow specified procedures when washing cargo tanks (regulations 4 and 8 to 10). The procedures depend on the category of substance carried and on whether or not unloading takes place in a special area. Certain oil-like substances are allowed to be carried and their residues discharged in accordance with the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1983 instead of in accordance with these Regulations, provided
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