International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response

and Co-operation
International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation
(OPRC) is an international maritime convention establishing measures for dealing with marine
oil pollution incidents nationally and in co-operation with other countries. This call was endorsed
by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Assembly and work began on a draft
convention aimed at providing a global framework for international co-operation in combating
major incidents or threats of marine pollution. The Convention applies to any type of vessels
whatsoever operating in the marine environment, fixed or floating offshore installations or
structures engaged in gas or oil exploration, exploitation or production activities, or loading or
unloading of oil; and sea ports and oil handling facilities.
The convention consists of 19 articles which govern on the issue of threat of oil pollution
and to counter-measure the issue. The articles which may be highlighted from this convention are
Article 3 and Article 4 of OPRC. Article 3 states the standard operating procedure (SOP) for oil
pollution emergency plans. Every ships are required to carry a shipboard oil pollution emergency
plan, be it in a port or at an offshore terminal under the jurisdiction of the state members. This is
because the vessels need to be inspected by officers authorised by the state. Even so, the
authorities or the officers have to keep along the emergency plan in order to escape from been
held liable. This is important in order to ensure all parties have took every single reasonable steps
to sounter measure oil pollution.

Article 4 of the Convention states on oil pollution reporting procedures. In the event of
oil pollution incident, the captain or known as the master in the convention or the person
whomsoever in charge of the ship has to report without delay any event on their ship or offshore
unit. Be it in the case of a ship, the master of the ship has to report to the nearest coastal State or
if in the case of an offshore unit, to the coastal State. Persons having charge of sea ports and oil
handling facilities under the jurisdiction of a Party are required to report without delay any event
involving a discharge or probable discharge of oil or the presence of oil to the competent national
authority. Parties to the Convention are required to instruct its maritime inspection vessels or
aircraft and other appropriate services or officials to report without delay any observed event at
sea or at a sea port or oil handling facility involving a discharge of oil or the presence of oil to
the competent national authority or to the nearest coastal State and request the pilots of civil
aircraft to report without delay any observed event at sea involving a discharge of oil or the
presence of oil to the nearest coastal State.

The convention was adopted on 30th November 1990 during a conference was held in
London on 19th to 30th November 1990. The treaty then entered into force on 13th May 1995. At
the early stage of the treaty, there are only 90 states joined the treaty. However, the figures
increased to 108 states as of April 2015.
Maritime Department of Malaysia has been silenced on whether Malaysia had ratify the
convention or not on its website. However, Malaysia did sent a representative to sign the treaty,
Mr K. Ramadas. Malaysia did ratified the treaty on 9th June 2015, as stated in Maizatun Mustafa
in her book, Environmental Law in Malaysia.