USCG Marine Environmental Protection 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under MARPOL Annex I, how far from the nearest land must a vessel be to legally discharge oily bilge water (less than 15 ppm) in U.S. waters?
- 3 nautical miles
- 12 nautical miles (Correct answer)
- 25 nautical miles
- 50 nautical miles
Correct answer: 12 nautical miles
MARPOL Annex I and U.S. law require vessels to be at least 12 nautical miles from the nearest land before discharging treated bilge water containing less than 15 ppm oil.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the Oil Record Book?
- To track fuel purchases
- To document all oil transfer and discharge operations for USCG inspection (Correct answer)
- To record engine maintenance
- To log voyage distances
Correct answer: To document all oil transfer and discharge operations for USCG inspection
The Oil Record Book is a legal document required by MARPOL and U.S. law to record all oil transfers, bilge discharges, and oily water separator operations, subject to USCG inspection.
Question 3: What is the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) the U.S. implementing legislation for?
- The Clean Water Act
- MARPOL — the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (Correct answer)
- The Oil Pollution Act of 1990
- The Refuse Act
Correct answer: MARPOL — the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) is the U.S. federal law that implements MARPOL, making violations of its discharge standards punishable under U.S. law.
Question 4: Under MARPOL Annex V, which garbage category is prohibited from being discharged overboard anywhere?
- Food waste beyond 12 nm
- Plastics (Correct answer)
- Paper products beyond 3 nm
- Glass bottles beyond 12 nm
Correct answer: Plastics
MARPOL Annex V prohibits the discharge of all plastics anywhere at sea; plastics persist in the marine environment and cause severe harm to marine life.
Question 5: What is a 'Vessel Response Plan' (VRP) required to address?
- Only fuel transfer procedures
- Procedures for responding to a worst-case oil spill scenario (Correct answer)
- Crew training schedules
- Equipment maintenance logs
Correct answer: Procedures for responding to a worst-case oil spill scenario
A Vessel Response Plan must include procedures for responding to a worst-case oil discharge scenario, identifying response resources, contacts, and cleanup procedures required by OPA 90.
Question 6: The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was primarily enacted in response to which disaster?
- The Deepwater Horizon spill
- The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska (Correct answer)
- The Argo Merchant grounding
- The Amoco Cadiz spill
Correct answer: The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska
OPA 90 was enacted following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, which released 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound and caused massive environmental damage.
USCG Marine Environmental Protection 1
Under MARPOL Annex I, how far from the nearest land must a vessel be to legally discharge oily bilge water (less than 15 ppm) in U.S. waters?