ABSTRACT
The marine transportation of oil has been addressed by the international regulator long before other substances – an illustration is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil. MARPOL 73/78, the international instrument of reference on marine pollution by oil, defines oil as petroleum in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse and refined products. According to data concerning port State control in west and central African region in relation to the year 2015, the percentage of total deficiencies for first Annex of MARPOL was significantly higher than for the other annexes of MARPOL. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, which was the first international instrument on the regulation of marine pollution by oil, was superseded by MARPOL. Vessels are also required to record all oil transfer operations in an oil record book that is kept on board and is available for inspection.
