SOPEP/SMPEP

SOPEP and SMPEP are the shipboard emergency plans for pollution incidents. The Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan is required by MARPOL Annex I Regulation 37 for oil tankers of 150 gross tonnage and above and other ships of 400 gross tonnage and above. The Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan, under MARPOL Annex II Regulation 17, covers noxious liquid substances and is usually combined into a single SMPEP for chemical tankers. Each plan lists reporting steps, contact authorities, and actions to limit a discharge. They sit at the SOLAS-MARPOL interface: SOLAS safety management under the ISM Code requires these plans to be integrated into the ship’s procedures.