PSC deficiency code 01320: Garbage record book
Area 01 Certificates and documentation
The Garbage Record Book is where the ship records every discharge to sea, every incineration and every delivery of garbage ashore. Part I covers all garbage except cargo residues; Part II covers cargo residues on ships carrying solid bulk cargoes. Inspectors read it to see whether the garbage on board can be accounted for, and compare it with what they find under 14501 Garbage.
What the inspector looks at
The book is usually read with the receipts, then checked against the storage area.
- the current standard form from MARPOL Annex V, or an electronic book the flag accepts
- each entry with date, time, position, garbage category and estimated amount in cubic metres
- each operation signed by the officer in charge, each completed page by the master
- receipts from reception facilities kept with the book and matching the entries
- discharges at sea that are legal for the category and position
- accidental loss or exceptional discharges entered with the circumstances
Common findings
- Entries not signed by officer in charge
- Completed pages not signed by master
- Ship's position not recorded for discharge of food waste
- Quantities recorded in bags, not in cubic metres
- Delivery to reception facility recorded, no receipt on board
- Garbage record book not in current format
The rule behind it
MARPOL Annex V, regulation 10, requires a Garbage Record Book on every ship of 100 gross tonnage and above, every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons on voyages to ports or offshore terminals of another Party, and every fixed or floating platform. The threshold used to be 400 gross tonnage and was lowered by amendment. Entries record date, time, position, description of the garbage and estimated amount, and are signed. The book stays on board for two years after the last entry. Annex V contains the standard form, and IMO has issued guidance for flags accepting electronic record books.
Action codes you are likely to see
Missing signatures or positions are often corrected on the spot and marked 10, or given 17. Missing receipts the agent can obtain may also be 17. The IMO port State control procedures list the absence of a Garbage Record Book among detainable items under Annex V, so a ship without one can be detained (30). Entries that can't account for the garbage on board, or suggest illegal discharge, can be passed to the flag State. See action taken codes.
How to close it
Never remove pages or overwrite entries. Correct a mistake with a new dated entry referring to the wrong one, signed by the officer and countersigned by the master. Get copies of missing receipts through the agent. Brief the officers who make entries and add a record book check to the master's monthly review. Keep copies of the corrected pages and receipts with the Form B. The same habits apply to the oil record book.