SOPEP or SMPEP?

Shall a vessel have an approved SOPEP (Shipboard oil pollution emergency plan) or SMPEP (Shipboard marine pollution emergency plan) onb? This is a rather common question even from experienced DPAs. As per Annex I, Regulation 37, par.1 of MARPOL:

Every oil tanker of 150 gross tonnage and above and every ship other than an oil tanker of 400 gross tonnage and above shall carry on board a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan approved by the Administration.

Still, on Annex I, Regulation 37 par.3 it states:

In the case of ships to which regulation 17 of Annex II of the present Convention also apply, such a plan may be combined with the shipboard marine pollution emergency plan for noxious liquid substances required under regulation 17 of Annex II of the present Convention. In this case, the title of such a plan shall be “Shipboard marine pollution emergency plan”.

Annex II, Regulation 17, par 1 of MARPOL clarifies that:

Every ship of 150 gross tonnage and above certified to carry Noxious Liquid Substances in bulk shall carry on board a shipboard marine pollution emergency plan for Noxious Liquid Substances approved by the Administration.

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