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MARPOL / Environmental Practice Questions
18 questions — multiple choice, sourced from real maritime incident reports and MCA oral exam syllabi. Browse all topics →
1. The yacht generates food waste, plastics, and oily rags during a passage more than 12 nautical miles from land. Under MARPOL Annex V, what must happen to the plastics?
A. All plastics must be retained on board for discharge to a port reception facility — discharge of plastics into the sea is prohibited under all circumstances
B. Plastics may be burned in the incinerator and the ash discharged overboard
C. Plastics can be discharged if ground down to less than 25mm
D. They may be discharged overboard once the vessel is more than 12nm from the nearest land
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2. Your vessel is preparing to bunker fuel alongside. As Master, what must be in place before bunkering starts under your SOPEP/SMPEP arrangements?
A. Only the engineer needs to be present; deck crew are not involved
B. SOPEP equipment only needs to be available if bunkering more than 50% of capacity
C. Nothing specific — bunkering is routine and does not need pre-checks
D. A pre-bunkering checklist completed (hose connections, drip trays, communication with the barge/terminal, spill response equipment ready and accessible), a dedicated watch maintained throughout, and SOPEP equipment immediately available
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3. The yacht is operating in a designated Marine Protected Area / no-discharge zone. What does this mean for routine engineering discharges (e.g. treated sewage, grey water, bilge water)?
A. Only oil discharges are restricted in MPAs; sewage and grey water are unaffected
B. No-discharge zones only apply to commercial cargo ships
C. Discharges that would normally be permitted outside the zone (even treated effluent in some cases) may be restricted or prohibited within the designated area, so holding tanks must be managed to retain effluent until clear of the zone or to an appropriate reception facility
D. Normal discharge rules continue to apply unchanged
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