Beyond 25 nautical miles from the coast, which item is allowed to be discharged?

Master the Navigation, Seamanship, and Shiphandling (NSS) – Officer of the Deck (OOD) Phase 2 Exam with engaging flashcards and multiple choice questions, complete with hints and explanations. Prepare comprehensively for your test!

Discharge rules for ship garbage at sea are governed by MARPOL Annex V, which lets certain non-hazardous waste be dumped only when the ship is sufficiently far from land. Wood-based dunnage is treated as non-plastic garbage and, if it’s not contaminated with other pollutants, may be discharged when the vessel is more than 25 nautical miles from the coast. That is why this item is allowed beyond that distance. In contrast, gray water and black water are wastewater and sewage that require onboard treatment and compliance with distance and discharge standards, so they’re not freely discharged at that range. Oily waste is tightly controlled as well; it must be treated (usually through an oily-water separator) and meet oil-content limits, and even then there are minimum distance constraints. So, beyond 25 nautical miles, dunnage is the discharge that aligns with the regulatory allowance.