Maritime Transport Act 1994

Plans and responses to protect marine environment from marine oil spills - Obligations and offences in respect of marine oil spill contingency plans

313: Compliance with marine oil spill contingency plans

You could also call this:

"Following the plan to clean up oil spills in the sea"

Illustration for Maritime Transport Act 1994

If a ship or offshore installation spills oil, you must follow the marine oil spill contingency plan. You have to do what the plan says, unless someone in charge tells you to do something different. This person is called an on-scene commander. If the oil spill happens in an area looked after by a regional council, you must follow the regional marine oil spill contingency plan. You have to do what this plan says, unless the National On-Scene Commander tells you to do something different. This helps keep everyone safe and clean up the spill quickly.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM337800.

This page was last updated on 4 January 2026 — View changes

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Part 23Plans and responses to protect marine environment from marine oil spills
Obligations and offences in respect of marine oil spill contingency plans

313Compliance with marine oil spill contingency plans

In the event of a marine oil spill from a ship, an offshore installation, or an oil transfer site in respect of which there has been prepared under the marine protection rules a shipboard or site marine oil spill contingency plan, as the case may be, the provisions of the relevant shipboard or site marine oil spill contingency plan shall be complied with except to the extent that a person is directed otherwise by an on-scene commander.
In the event of a marine oil spill within the region of a regional council, the regional marine oil spill contingency plan shall be complied with except to the extent that a person is directed otherwise by the National On-Scene Commander.