IMO issues amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL

The International Maritime Organization has issued resolution MEPC.384(81) with amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL regarding the reporting procedures for the loss of containers.

THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE,

RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,

NOTING article 16 of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL), which specifies the amendment procedure and confers upon the appropriate body of the Organization the function of considering and adopting amendments thereto,

HAVING CONSIDERED, at its eighty-first session, proposed amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL concerning reporting procedures for the loss of containers,

1. ADOPTS, in accordance with article 16(2)(d) of MARPOL, amendments to Protocol I of MARPOL, the text of which is set out in the annex to the present resolution;
2. DETERMINES, in accordance with article 16(2)(f)(iii) of MARPOL, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted on 1 July 2025 unless, prior to that date, not less than one third of the Parties or Parties the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant fleet have communicated to the Organization their objection to the amendments;
3. INVITES the Parties to note that, in accordance with article 16(2)(g)(ii) of MARPOL, the said amendments shall enter into force on 1 January 2026 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above;
4. REQUESTS the Secretary-General, for the purposes of article 16(2)(e) of MARPOL, to transmit certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments contained in the annex to all Parties to MARPOL;
5. ALSO REQUESTS the Secretary-General to transmit copies of the present resolution and its annex to Members of the Organization which are not Parties to MARPOL.

ANNEX

AMENDMENTS TO PROTOCOL I OF MARPOL

(Reporting procedures for the loss of containers)

PROTOCOL I – PROVISIONS CONCERNING REPORTS ON INCIDENTS INVOLVING HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

Article V
Reporting procedures

The following new paragraph 3 is inserted after existing paragraph 2:

"In case of the loss of freight container(s), the report required by article II(1)(b) shall be made in accordance with the requirements on danger messages as provided for in regulations V/31 and V/32 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974."

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

Amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973, as Modified by the Protocol of 1978 Relating Thereto