Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships

The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS, 33 U.S.C. §§1905-1915) is a United States law that implements the provisions of MARPOL 73/78 and the annexes of MARPOL to which the United States is a party. The most recent U.S. action concerning MARPOL occurred in April 2006, when the U.S. Senate approved Annex VI, which regulates air pollution (Treaty Doc. 108–7, Exec. Rept. 109-13). Following that approval, in March 2007, the House of Representatives approved legislation to implement the standards in Annex VI (H.R. 802), through regulations to be promulgated by Environmental Protection Agency in consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard.

APPS applies to all U.S.-flagged ships anywhere in the world, and to all foreign-flagged vessels operating in navigable waters of the United States, or while at port under U.S. jurisdiction. The Coast Guard has primary responsibility to prescribe and enforce regulations necessary to implement APPS in these waters. The regulatory mechanism established in APPS to implement MARPOL is separate and distinct from the Clean Water Act and other federal environmental laws.

The H.R. 6665 legislation was passed by the 96th U.S. Congressional session and signed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on October 21, 1980.