The Oil Record Book, done right.
A delivery to our truck or vessel is a delivery to a reception facility. These are the entries to make, and the mistakes inspectors see most.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Rules change: check your flag State and the sources below.
Entry helper
DateCodeItemRecord of operations
01-OCTOBER-2026C12.12.4 m³ of sludge from Sludge tank to reception facility (tank truck/barge), Sint Maarten.
0.3 m³ retained in Sludge tank.
Signed by the officer in charge. Keep the delivery receipt with the Oil Record Book.
Based on MEPC.187(59) and IMO guidance MEPC.1/Circ.736/Rev.2. Your flag State's instructions come first. A new Annex I regulation 12B is expected in November 2026 and may change these entries.
The codes for a delivery ashore
| Waste | Code and item | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Sludge (oil residue) | C 12.1 | Quantity in m³, the tank emptied, the quantity retained, and “to reception facility” with the port |
| Oily bilge water | D 13 | Quantity in m³ |
| D 14 | Start and stop time | |
| D 15.2 | “To reception facility”, with the port |
Used lube and hydraulic oils count as oil residue (sludge). Oily rags and used filters are garbage: they go in the Garbage Record Book, not the Oil Record Book.
Mistakes inspectors see
- Using C 12.3 or 12.4 for a delivery ashore. Those are incineration and “other method”. A delivery ashore is C 12.1.
- Recording tank capacity in a C 12 entry. Capacity is not recorded there.
- Leaving blank lines between entries, or correcting by overwriting. Strike a wrong entry through with a single line, then sign and date it.
- Tank names that differ from the IOPP Supplement.
- Not keeping the delivery receipt. IMO guidance says to keep it with the Oil Record Book Part I.
Who must keep one: every ship of 400 GT and above, including private and charter yachts under many flags. The book stays on board for three years after the last entry. Dates are written dd-MONTH-yyyy.
A change is coming: IMO is expected to adopt a new Annex I regulation 12B in November 2026, with changes to the Oil Record Book. We will update this page when it is adopted.