33 CFR 151.25: Oil Record Book requirements for ships

(a) Each oil tanker of 150 gross tons and above, ship of 400 gross tons and above other than an oil tanker, and manned fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform shall maintain an Oil Record Book Part I (Machinery Space Operations). An oil tanker of 150 gross tons and above or a non oil tanker that carries 200 cubic meters or more of oil in bulk, shall also maintain an Oil Record Book Part II (Cargo/Ballast Operations).

(b) An Oil Record Book printed by the U.S. Government is available to the masters or operators of all U.S. ships subject to this section, from any Coast Guard Sector Office, Marine Inspection Office, or Captain of the Port Office.

(c) The ownership of the Oil Record Book of all U.S. ships remains with the U.S. Government.

(d) Entries shall be made in the Oil Record Book on each occasion, on a tank to tank basis if appropriate, whenever any of the following machinery space operations take place on any ship to which this section applies—

(1) Ballasting or cleaning of fuel oil tanks;

(2) Discharge of ballast containing an oily mixture or cleaning water from fuel oil tanks;

(3) Disposal of oil residue;

(4) Discharge overboard or disposal otherwise of bilge water that has accumulated in machinery spaces;

(5) Bunkering of fuel or bulk lubricating oil; and

(6) Any failure, and the reasons for, of the oil filtering equipment.

(e) Entries shall be made in the Oil Record Book on each occasion, on a tank to tank basis if appropriate, whenever any of the following cargo/ballast operations take place on any oil tanker to which this section applies—

(1) Loading of oil cargo;

(2) Internal transfer of oil cargo during voyage;

(3) Unloading of oil cargo;

(4) Ballasting of cargo tanks and dedicated clean ballast tanks;

(5) Cleaning of cargo tanks including crude oil washing;

(6) Discharge of ballast except from segregated ballast tanks;

(7) Discharge of water from slop tanks;

(8) Closing of all applicable valves or similar devices after slop tank discharge operations;

(9) Closing of valves necessary for isolation of dedicated clean ballast tanks from cargo and stripping lines after slop tank discharge operations;

(10) Disposal of oil residue; and

(11) Any failure of, and the reasons for, the oil discharge monitoring and control system.

(f) Entries shall be made in the Oil Record Book on each occasion, on a tank-to-tank basis if appropriate, whenever any of the following operations take place on a fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform to which this section applies—

(1) Discharge of ballast or cleaning water from fuel oil tanks; and

(2) Discharge overboard of platform machinery space bilge water.

(g) In the event of an emergency, accidental or other exceptional discharge of oil or oily mixture, a statement shall be made in the Oil Record Book of the circumstances of, and the reasons for, the discharge.

(h) Each operation described in paragraphs (d), (e) and (f) of this section shall be fully recorded without delay in the Oil Record Book so that all the entries in the book appropriate to that operation are completed. Each completed operation shall be signed by the person or persons in charge of the operations concerned and each completed page shall be signed by the master or other person having charge of the ship.

(i) The Oil Record Book shall be kept in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times and shall be kept on board the ship.

(j) The master or other person having charge of a ship required to keep an Oil Record Book shall be responsible for the maintenance of such record.

(k) The Oil Record Book for a U.S. ship shall be maintained on board for not less than three years.

(l) This section does not apply to a barge or a fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform that is not equipped to discharge overboard any oil or oily mixture.

(m) This section does not apply to a fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform that is operating in compliance with a valid National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1625-0009)