Under MARPOL Annex V, can comminuted (ground up) food waste be discharged at sea, and does it matter whether the vessel is underway or at anchor?

A. Food waste discharge limits depend only on the type of cargo carried, not the vessel's location or status

B. Food waste can never be discharged at sea under any circumstances

C. Food waste can be discharged at anchor but not while underway

D. Comminuted food waste passed through a grinder/comminuter (mesh no greater than 25mm) may generally be discharged while the vessel is en route and as far as practicable from land (at least 3nm from nearest land, or 12nm in certain special areas), but discharge while at anchor or alongside is not permitted

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

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