The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1996

Oil Record Book

10.—(1) Every ship of 400 GT and above, other than an oil tanker, and every oil tanker of 150 GT and above shall be provided with an Oil Record Book, Part I (Machinery Space Operations). Every oil tanker of 150 GT and above shall also be provided with an Oil Record Book, Part II (Cargo/Ballast Operations). The Oil Record Book shall be in the form prescribed in the Convention.

(2) The Oil Record Book shall be completed on each occasion, on a tank-to-tank basis if appropriate, whenever any of the following operations take place in the ship—

(a) for machinery space operations (all ships)—

(i) ballasting or cleaning of oil fuel tanks;

(ii) discharging ballast or cleaning water from oil fuel tanks;

(iii) disposing oily residues (sludge);

(iv) discharging overboard bilge water which has accumulated in machinery spaces;

(b) for cargo/ballast operation (oil tankers)—

(i) loading oil cargo;

(ii) internal transfer of oil cargo during voyage;

(iii) unloading oil cargo;

(iv) ballasting cargo tanks and dedicated clean ballast tanks;

(v) cleaning cargo tanks including crude oil washing;

(vi) discharging ballast except from segregated ballast tanks;

(vii) discharging water from slop tanks;

(viii) closing, after the discharge of the contents of the slop tanks, all valves or similar devices opened to permit such operations;

(ix) closing those valves necessary for the isolation of dedicated clean ballast tanks from cargo and stripping lines after slop tank discharge operations; and

(x) disposing residues.

(3) In the event of a discharge of oil or oily mixture as is referred to in regulation 11 or in the event of an accidental or other exceptional discharge of oil not excepted by that regulation, a statement shall be made in the Oil Record Book of the circumstances of, and the reasons for, the discharge.

(4) Each operation described in paragraph (2) shall be fully recorded without delay in the Oil Record Book so that all entries in the book appropriate to that operation are completed. Each completed operation shall be signed by the officer or officers in charge of the operations concerned and each completed page shall be signed by the master.

(5) The Oil Record Book shall be kept in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times and, except in the case of unmanned ships under tow, shall be kept on board. It shall be preserved for a period of three years after the last entry has been made.

(6) The Secretary of State or a person authorised by the Certifying Authority may inspect the Oil Record Book on board whilst the ship is in a port or offshore terminal and may make a copy of any entry in that book and may require the master of the ship to certify that the copy is a true copy of such an entry. Any such copy shall be admissible in any judicial proceedings as evidence of the facts stated in the entry. The inspection of an Oil Record Book and the taking of a certified copy by the Secretary of State, or a person so authorised, under this paragraph shall be performed as expeditiously as possible without causing the ship to be unduly delayed.