# The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1996, Regulation 2: Applications and exemptions


(1) Unless expressly provided otherwise, these Regulations apply to—
(a) United Kingdom ships;
(b) other ships while they are within the United Kingdom or the territorial waters thereof; and
(c) Government ships registered in the United Kingdom and Government ships no so registered but held for the purposes of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom.
(2) These Regulations do not apply to any warship, naval auxiliary or other ship owned or operated by a State and used, for the time being, only on government non-commercial service.
(3) The Secretary of State may exempt a ship of a new type whose constructional features are such as to render the application of any of the provisions of regulations 10 to 32 relating to construction and equipment unreasonable or impracticable from those provisions, provided that the construction and equipment of that ship provides equivalent protection against pollution by oil, having regard to the service for which it is intended. Particulars of any such exemption granted by the Secretary of State shall be indicated in the IOPP or UKOPP Certificate referred to in regulation 7.
(4) In ships, other than oil tankers, fitted with cargo spaces which are constructed and used to carry oil in bulk of an aggregate capacity of 200 cubic metres or more, the requirements of regulations 10, 12, 13, 15(1), (2) and (3), 16, 24, 26 and 28(4) for oil tankers shall also apply to the construction and operation of these spaces, except that where such aggregate capacity is less than 1,000 cubic metres it shall be sufficient to comply with the requirements of regulation 15(4) as if they applied to the ship in lieu of those of regulation 15(1), (2) and (3).
(5) The Secretary of State may grant exemptions from all or any of the provisions of these Regulations (as may be specified in the exemption) for classes of ships or individual ships on such terms (if any) as he may so specify and may, subject to giving reasonable notice, alter or cancel any such exemption.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/2154/regulation/2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-prevention-of-oil-pollution-regulations-1996/regulation-2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.