{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-prevention-of-pollution-by-garbage-from-ships-regulations-2020/regulation-8",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-prevention-of-pollution-by-garbage-from-ships-regulations-2020/regulation-8.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2020/621",
  "legislation_title": "The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships) Regulations 2020",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/merchant-shipping-prevention-of-pollution-by-garbage-from-ships-regulations-2020",
  "path": "regulation/8",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "8",
  "heading": "Exceptions",
  "text": "(1) Regulations 5(1) (prohibition on the discharge of garbage) and 6 (mixed garbage) do not apply to—\n(a) the discharge of garbage necessary for the purpose of—\n(i) securing the safety of a ship and those on board the ship; or\n(ii) saving life at sea;\n(b) the accidental loss of garbage—\n(i) which is a result of damage to a ship or its equipment; and\n(ii) where all reasonable precautions have been taken before and after the occurrence of the damage to prevent or minimise the accidental loss;\n(c) the accidental loss of fishing gear, provided that all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the accidental loss; or\n(d) the discharge of fishing gear for—\n(i) the protection of the marine environment; or\n(ii) for the safety of a ship or its crew.\n(2) The requirement in—\n(a) regulation 4 of Annex V (discharge of garbage outside special areas);\n(b) regulation 6 of Annex V (discharge of garbage within special areas); and\n(c) section 5.2 (operational requirements) of chapter 5 of part II-A of the Polar Code (prevention of pollution by garbage from ships),\nthat the discharge of garbage is only permitted while a ship is en route, does not apply to a discharge of food wastes where the retention on board a ship of the food wastes presents an imminent health risk to the persons on board.\n(3) Where fishing gear accidentally lost or discharged pursuant to paragraph (1)(c) or (d) poses a significant threat to—\n(a) the marine environment; or\n(b) navigation,\nthe accidental loss or discharge must be reported in accordance with paragraph (4).\n(4) A report under paragraph (3) must be to—\n(a) the ship’s flag State; and\n(b) any coastal State which has jurisdiction over the waters where the accidental loss or discharge occurred.\n(5) In this regulation the following terms have the meaning given in regulation 1 of Annex V (definitions)—\n(a) “en route”;\n(b) “fishing gear”; and\n(c) “food wastes”.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 8 in force at 22.7.2020, see reg. 1(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/621/regulation/8",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T22:29:14.694423+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}