Applicability: shipowners, ship operators, ship managers and ship masters.
New amendments to MARPOL Annex V enter into force on 1 May 2024, requiring ships of 100 gross tonnage and above to be provided with a Garbage Record Book. This requirement currently applies to ships of 400 gross tonnage and above.
This follows IMO Resolution MEPC.360(79), adopted on 16 December 2022, which affects Regulation 10 of the Annex in relation to “placards, garbage management plans and garbage record-keeping”.
Regulation 10.3 is now amended as follows:
“Every ship of 100 gross tonnage and above and every ship which is certified to carry 15 or more persons engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of another Party to the Convention and every fixed or floating platform shall be provided with a Garbage Record Book. The Garbage Record Book, whether as a part of the ship's official logbook, or as an electronic record book which shall be approved by the Administration taking into account the Guidelines developed by the Organization*, or otherwise, shall be in the form specified in Appendix II to this Annex.”
Regulation 10.3.6, regarding any discharge or accidental loss of garbage, is also amended to read: “In the case of any ship of less than 100 gross tonnage, an entry shall be made in the ship's official logbook…".
The amendments in Resolution MEPC.360(79) also include new requirements related to garbage reception facilities for ports within Arctic waters.
What should shipowners and ship operators do now?
Ensure that the requirement of providing a Garbage Record Book is duly implemented onboard affected ships.
Lloyd’s Register has updated the Garbage Management Plan template, FAQs, and LR Guidance for shipowners and ship operators in the resources section here.
* Refer to the Guidelines for the use of electronic record books under MARPOL, adopted by Resolution MEPC.312(74).
For further information
For further information or advice, please get in touch with your local Lloyd's Register office or contact statutorysupport@lr.org