Oil Pollution Act of 1973


The Oil Pollution Act of 1973 or Oil Pollution Act Amendments of 1973, 33 U.S.C. Chapter 20 §§ 1001-1011, was a United States federal law which amended the United States Statute. The Act of Congress sustained the United States commitment to control the discharge of fossil fuel pollutants from nautical vessels and to acknowledge the embargo of coastal zones in trans-boundary waters.
The H.R. 5451 legislation was passed by the United States 93rd Congressional session and enacted by the 37th President of the United States Richard Nixon on October 4, 1973.

History of OILPOL

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil was an international convention organized by the United Kingdom in 1954. The convention was held in London, England from April 26, 1954 to May 12, 1954. The international meeting was convened to recognize the disposal of hazardous waste which could potentially yield toxic contamination to the marine ecosystems.
The International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954 original text was authored in English and French. The environmental protocol was amended in 1962, 1969, and 1971.
The 1971 OILPOL amendments imposed irrevocable oceanic jurisdictions for the Great Barrier Reef located in the Coral Sea. The international convention amendments introduced design control provisions for sea-going vessels which specified tank formation arrangement and tank size limitations for nautical transport ships.

Provisions of the Act

The 1973 amendments accentuated the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954 by complying with the 1969 and 1971 international convention agreement amendments.

Definitions

Tank Ship Construction Standards

Zone Prohibitions

Oil Record Book



Repeal of Oil Pollution Act of 1973

The 1973 United States public law was repealed by the enactment of Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships on October 21, 1980.