1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its thirty-third session, adopted amendments to
the Standards for Procedures and Arrangements for the Discharge of Noxious Liquid Substances
which included restriction on the types of detergents used in tank washing as follows:
"1.8.2 When small amounts of detergents are added to water in order to facilitate tank washing,
no detergents containing pollution category A components should be used except those
components that are readily biodegradable and present in a total concentration of less than
10%. No restrictions additional to those applicable to the tank due to the previous cargo
should apply."
2 These amendments were implemented as of 1 July 1996, chemical tankers will therefore only be
able to use those detergent products (additives to water for purposes of cleaning) evaluated and
approved by the Organization.
3 The first list of cleaning additives, which were evaluated by the BLG Working Group on the
Evaluation of Safety and Pollution Hazards of Chemicals (ESPH) and found to meet the
requirements of paragraph 1.8.2 of the P & A Standards, was attached to
MEPC/Circ.305.Subsequent evaluations of other cleaning additives have been issued under
MEPC/Circ.305/Adds.1 and 2.
4 Those cleaning additives evaluated by the ESPH Working Group in 1999 are included in the
annex to this circular.