1 The ability of ships to comply with the MARPOL 73/78 discharge requirements depends
largely upon the availability of adequate port reception facilities, especially within Special Areas.
The lack of reception facilities in many ports worldwide poses a serious threat of pollution to the
marine environment.
2 In accordance with MARPOL 73/78, the Government of each Party:
.1 undertakes to ensure that reception facilities are adequate to meet the needs of the
ships using them without causing undue delay to the ships; and
.2 shall notify the Organization, for transmission to the Parties concerned, of all cases
where the facilities are alleged to be inadequate.
3 Since the possibility for improving reception facilities is dependent, at least partly, on the
receipt of adequate information about alleged inadequacies and in order to provide a standard format
for the related communication process, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at
its twenty-sixth session (September 1988), approved by means of MEPC/Circ.215, the consolidated
format for reporting alleged inadequacies of port reception facilities for oily wastes
(MARPOL Annex I), noxious liquid substances (MARPOL Annex II) and garbage
(MARPOL Annex V). This format was subsequently revised by MEPC 42 (November 1998) to
make it more user-friendly and circulated by means of MEPC/Circ.349.
4 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its fifty-third session (July 2005), having
considered the recommendation made by the Sub-Committee on Flag State Implementation, at its
thirteenth session, approved the revised consolidated format for reporting alleged inadequacies of
port reception facilities, set out at annex, to include reference to sewage (MARPOL Annex IV),
ozone-depleting substances and exhaust gas-cleaning system residues (MARPOL Annex VI).
5 Flag States are requested to:
.1 distribute the revised format to ships and urge Masters to use this format to report
alleged inadequacies of port reception facilities to the Administration of the flag State
and, if possible, to the Authorities of the port State;
.2 notify IMO, for transmission to the Parties concerned, of any case where facilities are
alleged to be inadequate; and
.3 inform the port State of the alleged inadequacies.
Notification should be made as soon as possible following the completion of the alleged
inadequacies reporting format and should include a copy of the Master’s report, together with any
supporting documentation.
6 Port States should ensure the provision of proper arrangements to consider and respond
appropriately and effectively to reports of inadequacies, informing IMO and the reporting flag State
of the outcome of their investigation.
7 Shipping companies should be encouraged to include the provisions of this circular in their
procedures for shipboard operations required under section 7 of the ISM Code.
8 Member Governments are invited to bring this circular to the attention of all parties
concerned.
9 This circular supersedes MEPC/Circ.349.