(a) For the purposes of §§ 151.09 through 151.25 of this subpart, the special areas are the Mediterranean Sea area, the Baltic Sea area, the Black Sea area, the Red Sea area, the Gulfs area, the Gulf of Aden, the Antarctic area, the North West European waters, the Oman area of the Arabian Sea, and the Southern South African Waters, which are described in § 151.06 of this subpart. The discharge restrictions are effective in the Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and the Antarctic area.
(b) Subject to the provisions of § 151.11 -
(1) A ship of 400 gross tons or over and any oil tanker may not discharge oil or oily mixture within a special area. In the Antarctic area, discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixture from any ship is prohibited.
(2) A ship of less than 400 gross tons other than an oil tanker may not discharge oil or oily mixture within a special area, unless the oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 parts per million (ppm).
(3) All ships operating in the Antarctic area must have on board a tank or tanks of sufficient capacity to retain all oily mixtures while operating in the area and arrangements made to discharge oily mixtures at a reception facility outside the Antarctic area.
(c) The provisions of paragraph (b) of this section do not apply to the discharge of clean or segregated ballast.
(d) The provisions of paragraph (b)(1) of this section do not apply to the discharge of processed bilge water from machinery space bilges, provided that all of the following conditions are satisfied -
(1) The bilge water does not originate from cargo pump room bilges;
(2) The bilge water is not mixed with oil cargo residues;
(3) The ship is proceeding enroute;
(4) The oil content of the effluent without dilution does not exceed 15 ppm;
(5) The ship has in operation oily-water separating equipment complying with part 155 of this chapter; and
(6) The oily-water separating equipment is equipped with a device that stops the discharge automatically when the oil content of the effluent exceeds 15 ppm.
(e) No discharge into the sea shall contain chemicals or other substances introduced for the purpose of circumventing the conditions of discharge specified in this section.
(f) The oily mixtures that cannot be discharged into the sea in compliance with paragraphs (b), (c), or (d) of this section shall be retained on board or discharged to reception facilities.
(g) Nothing in this section prohibits a ship on a voyage, only part of which is in a special area, from discharging outside the special area in accordance with § 151.10.
(h) In accordance with Regulation 38.6.1 of Annex I of MARPOL 73/78, the discharge restriction in § 151.13 for the Red Sea area, Gulfs area, Gulf of Aden area, the Oman area of the Arabian Sea, and the Southern South African waters will enter into effect when each party to MARPOL 73/78 whose coastline borders the special area has certified that reception facilities are available and the IMO has established an effective date for each special area. Notice of the effective dates for the discharge requirements in these special areas will be published in the Federal Register and reflected in this section.
[CGD 75-124a, 48 FR 45709, Oct. 6, 1983; 48 FR 54977, Dec. 8, 1983, as amended by CGD 88-002, 54 FR 18404, Apr. 28, 1989; CGD 88-002A, 55 FR 18582, May 2, 1990; CGD 94-056, 60 FR 43377, Aug. 21, 1995; USCG-2000-7641, 66 FR 55571, Nov. 2, 2001; USCG-2008-0179, 73 FR 35013, June 19, 2008; USCG-2010-0194, 80 FR 5933, Feb. 4, 2015]