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- International Law: MARPOL
- US Federal Laws
- Laws NY/NJ
- Whistleblower Rewards
- Reporting a Crime
- Video: Oil in Our Waters
Commercial Mariners
Photo Credit: US State Department
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In these pages you will find everything commercial mariners need to know about oil pollution and the law.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE BASICS:
- Oil is a toxin, and oil pollution is a serious threat to the marine environment. Click here for more information about the health impacts of oil.
- Illegal discharges of oil from commercial ships are the single largest human source of oil entering the world’s oceans. Click here for more information about human sources of oil pollution.
- Intentionally discharging oil into oceans is illegal. It is prohibited by an International Treaty known as MARPOL and is a federal crime in the United States. Click here to learn how to report a crime.
- Mariners who help catch polluters can receive up to half the total fine! Click here for a list of whistleblower awards
- Learn more about MARPOL and the laws regulating marine oil pollution in the United States.