The International Conference on Tanker Safety and Pollution
Prevention (TSPP Conference) convened by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) in February 1978 adopted, inter alia,
the Protocol of 1978 relating to the International Convention for
the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, which modified the 1973
Convention.footnote MARPOL 73/78 requires certain
ships to operate with a cargo tank cleaning system using crude oil
washing (Regulation 13 of Annex
1 of MARPOL 73/78). The crude oil washing installation, associated
equipment and arrangements, must meet the requirements established
by the Administration based on the Specifications for the Design,
Operation abnd Control of Crude Oil Washing Systems adopted by the
Conference in resolution 15 and as may be revised by the Organization
(Regulation 13B of Annex 1 of MARPOL
73/78).
The Conference requested the Organization to review and
revise the Specifications, as necessary, in order that the revised
Specifications would reflect the latest technology and practices which
might be developed by the time of entry into force of MARPOL 73/78.
The task of reviewing and revising the Specifications was
carried out by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)
of the Organization at its tenth and eleventh sessions as a matter
of urgency. In the course of its work, the MEPC found that there was
a need, not only to revise certain provisions of the Specifications,
but also to agree on interpretation of some of the provisions.
The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization,
at its eleventh session, received and examined the recommendations
made by the MEPC on this matter and adopted, by its resolution A.446(XI)
of 15 November 1979, the revised Specifications for the Design, Operation
and Control of Crude Oil Washing Systems together with agreed interpretations
of certain of the provisions of the revised Specifications. As stated
in the resolution, the revised Specifications supersede the Specifications
contained in the Annex to resolution 15 of the TSPP Conference.
Since the eleventh session of the Assembly, the MEPC kept
the revised Specifications under review and recommended certain amendments
and additions both to the revised Specifications and to the agreed
interpretations; these were adopted by the Assembly at its twelfth
session by resolution A.497(XII) of 19 November 1981.
The attention of Governments is drawn to the fact that the
Assembly urged them to establish, in time for the entry into force
of the MARPOL 73/78 requirements for the crude oil washing installation
and associated equipment and arrangements based on the revised Specifications,
and urged further that such requirements should not impose requirements
over and above those laid down in the revised Specifications.