What agreement oversights pollution over the entire ocean?

Wikipedia says:

"The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. The Convention, concluded in 1982, replaced four 1958 treaties. UNCLOS came into force in 1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th nation to sign the treaty.^[1] As of January 2015, 166 countries and the European Union have joined in the Convention."

That's a lot of territory! We'd like to focus on the marine environment for a moment. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in consideration of a major industry on the sea:

"Shipping – which transports about 90% of global trade – is, statistically, the least environmentally damaging mode of transport. Moreover, set against land-based industry, shipping is, overall, a comparatively minor contributor to marine pollution from human activities." 

see more here

They further advise that there are 51 treaty agreements for shipping here and 21 relate to the environment.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is IMO's senior technical body on marine pollution related matters for instance the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) in 1973.  

MARPOL has been instrumental in reducing the number of oil spills and a wider range of measures to prevent marine pollution including pollution from chemicals, other harmful substances, garbage, sewage and air pollution and emissions from ships.

Compliance on an international scale relies on all countries working together to ensure standards are met. There is some debate about compliance here and also thoughts about how to mitigate increased shipping emissions for the future here .

SEAFARERS: REFRESHER TRAINING GUIDE FOR SEAFARERS ON SHIPS IN AUSTRALIAN WATERS

In case you missed hearing about this earlier AUSMEPA is now providing its member companies and others with the Association's latest electronic publication titled ' A Refresher Training Guide for Seafarers on Ships in Australian Waters'.  It has been produced in collaboration with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA).

Australian waters cover an area of approximately 14 million squares kilometers and feature a wide variety of climatic, oceanographic and geographical characteristics. They hold a rare biodiversity of terrestrial and marine species, together with the world's largest 'living organism' - the Great Barrier Reef, our natural wonder that has been evolving for more than one million years. The Great Barrier Reef must be navigated safely with respect and care, given that Australian depends on the shipping industry for the transportation of approximately one billion tonnes of raw materials and products each year both imports and exports through our ports.

Besides outlining the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the Guide also incorporates information on relevant Australian legislation and MARPOL, requirements regarding ship tracking and reporting systems, navigation in the inner routes of the Great Barrier Reef, ballast water management, biofouling and the permissible draught of ships in Torres Strait. 

"The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. It is a combination of two treaties adopted in 1973 and 1978 respectively and updated by amendments through the years."  (as taken from the IMO website here)

AUSMEPA's intention is that the new Guide will also facilitate ad assist all seafarers transiting Australian waters, in their effective cooperation with AMSA for the promotion of the common goal of safe navigation and pollution prevention, especially in the sensitive marine areas of this vast continent. It is available in Chinese, English, Greek, Japanese, Russian and Ukrainian.

The refresher training package is presented to every ship calling in at an Australian port. The objective is to assist ship Masters and their crews to meet their obligations in preserving our Australian marine environment.  The refresher training package contains a short video in several languages, a guide to seafarers sailing on ships in Australian waters and a number of educational power point presentations. 

Copies of the Guide are available through AUSMEPA and AMSA.

For further information contact – info@ausmepa.org.au

www.ausmepa.org.au

Mariners and Masters: DVD about Australia for your information

Dateline: WORLD MARITIME DAY 2009

WELCOME TO AUSTRALIA, protecting our marine environment

The Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) has marked World Maritime Day 24 Sept 2009 by announcing the launch of the 2nd edition of its seafarer educational DVD, Welcome to Australia protecting our marine environment.

The DVD describes the importance of Australia’s unique marine environment and reminds ship masters and their crews of their obligations under The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

The DVD was jointly produced by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and AUSMEPA. A copy of the DVD will be placed on every ship, when it first arrives in Australia, by its agent. Supplies of the DVD will be available through the Australian Shipowners Association (ASA) and Shipping Australia Ltd. (SAL) and in selected ports from the Apostleship of the Sea’s Stella Maris Seafarer Centres.

The English version (one of seven language variations of the DVD) can be viewed on the AUSMEPA website by following this link http://www.ausmepa.org.au/australian-marine-environment-protection-association-dvd.htm