RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization
concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee conferred upon
it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution from
ships,
RECALLING ALSO resolution MEPC.20 (22) by which it adopted The Code for the
Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk ("the
BCH Code"), and resolution MEPC.16(22) by which the BCH Code has become mandatory under
Annex II of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships,
1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL),
RECALLING FURTHER article 16 of MARPOL
and regulation 1.4 of MARPOL Annex
II concerning the procedure for amending the BCH Code,
HAVING CONSIDERED, at its seventy-fourth session, proposed amendments to the BCH Code
concerning special, operational and minimum requirements,
1 ADOPTS, in accordance with article 16(2)(d) of MARPOL,
amendments to the BCH Code, the text of which is set out in the annex to the present
resolution;
2 DETERMINES, in accordance with article 16(2)(f)(iii) of MARPOL, that the amendments to
the BCH Code shall be deemed to have been accepted on 1 July 2020 unless, prior to that
date, not less than one third of the Parties or Parties, the combined merchant fleets of
which constitute not less than 50% of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant fleet,
have communicated to the Organization their objection to the amendments;
3 INVITES the Parties to note that, in accordance with article 16(2)(g)(ii) of MARPOL,
the amendments to the BCH Code shall enter into force on 1 January 2021 upon their
acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above;
4 INVITES ALSO the Maritime Safety Committee to note this resolution and take action as
appropriate;
5 REQUESTS the Secretary-General, for the purposes of article 16(2)(e) of MARPOL,
to transmit certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments to
the BCH Code contained in the annex, to all Parties to MARPOL;
6 REQUESTS ALSO the Secretary-General to transmit copies of the present resolution and
its annex to the Members of the Organization which are not Parties to MARPOL.