MARPOL Compliance Checklist for Yacht Owners
A practical rundown of the MARPOL recordkeeping most yacht owners and captains need to stay on top of — and how to keep it audit-ready instead of scattered across binders.
MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) governs how vessels handle oil, garbage, sewage, and other waste streams. For commercial vessels and larger private yachts under flag-state oversight, the recordkeeping requirements are real, and gaps show up fast during a Port State Control inspection or a survey. This isn't legal advice — flag-state and class requirements vary — but here's the recordkeeping most owners and captains need to have in order.
Oil Record Book
Every transfer, discharge, or disposal of oil or oily mixtures needs a dated, signed entry. This includes bilge water processing, sludge transfers, and bunkering-related oil movements. Inspectors look for entries that are timely and internally consistent — gaps or backdated-looking entries are a common flag.
Garbage Log
Garbage is categorized by type (plastics, food waste, cooking oil, incinerator ash, etc.), and each category has different disposal rules depending on distance from shore. A garbage log should record what was discarded, how, when, and where.
Sewage and bilge records
Depending on vessel size and area of operation, sewage treatment and discharge may need its own log, separate from the bilge and oil records. Keep these distinct rather than folding everything into one general notebook — it makes inspections faster and reduces the chance of a missing entry.
Waste contractor receipts
When waste is offloaded to a shoreside contractor, keep the receipt. It's the paper trail that proves the waste actually left the vessel through a proper channel, and it's often the first document an inspector asks for.
Pollution incidents
Any accidental discharge, however minor, should be logged with time, location, estimated quantity, and corrective action taken. Under-reporting is far riskier than over-reporting.
Keeping it audit-ready year-round
- Log entries as they happen, not in batches before a survey.
- Keep waste contractor receipts attached to the corresponding log entry, not in a separate folder.
- Make sure whoever is on watch knows how to make an entry — don't let it depend on one person's memory.
- Review the log monthly so gaps get caught while they're still fixable.
This is a general overview, not legal or regulatory advice. Requirements vary by flag state, vessel size, and area of operation — confirm specifics with your flag administration or classification society.