earth science

Oil Pollution Act of 1961

Oil Pollution Act of 1961 is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Oil Pollution Act of 1961 rather than just read about it. In short: Oil Pollution Act of 1961, 33 U.S.C. Chapter 20 §§ 1001–1011, established judicial definitions and coastal prohibitions for the United States maritime industry.

Key takeaways

Oil Pollution Act of 1961 belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Oil Pollution Act of 1961 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Oil Pollution Act of 1961 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Oil Pollution Act of 1961, 33 U.S.C. Chapter 20 §§ 1001–1011, established judicial definitions and coastal prohibitions for the United States maritime industry. The Act invoked the accords of the International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954. The international agreement provided provisions to control the discharge of fossil fuel pollutants from nautical vessels on the high seas. The S. 2187 legislation was passed by the United States 87th Congressional session and enacted by the 35th President of the United States John F. Kennedy on August 30, 1961.

History The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (OILPOL) was an international convention organized by the United Kingdom in 1954. The convention was held in London, England from April 26, 1954, to May 12, 1954. The international meeting was convened to acknowledge the disposal of harmful waste which posed endangerment to the marine ecosystems. The International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954 original text was penned in English and French. The 1954 international agreement was amended in 1962, 1969, and 1971.

Provisions of the Act The Act emulated the subsequent formalities of the International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil, 1954.

Definitions Discharge in relation to oil or to an oily mixture means any discharge or escape howsoever caused Heavy diesel oil means marine diesel oil, other than those distillates of which more than fifty percent by volume distils at a temperature not exceeding 340 °C / 644 °F when tested by American Society for Testing and Materials standard method D158-53 Mile means a nautical mile of 6,080 feet (1,850 m) Oil means persistent oils, such as crude oil, fuel oil, heavy diesel oil, and lubricating oil. The oil in an oil mixture is less than one hundred parts per one million parts of the oil mixture, and is not deemed to foul the surface of the sea Prohibited zones means four designated zones described as Adriatic zones, North Sea zones, Atlantic zones, and Australian zone Ship means (I) ships for the time being used as naval auxiliaries; (II) ships of under five hundred tons gross tonnage; (III) ships for the time being engaged in the whaling industry; (IV) ships for the time being navigating the Great Lakes of North America and their connecting and tributary waters as far east as the lower exit of the Lachine Canal Montreal in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Secretary means the Secretary of the United States Army

Zone Prohibitions Adriatic Zones - Within the Adriatic Sea the prohibited zones off the coasts of Italy and Yugoslavia respectively shall each extend for a distance of 50 miles (80 km) from land, excepting only the island of Vis. North Sea Zones - The North Sea zone shall extend for a distance of 100 miles (160 km) from the coasts of the following countries: Belgium Denmark Federal Republic of Germany Netherlands United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but not beyond the point where the limit of a 100 miles (160 km) zone off the west coast of Jutland intersects the limit of the 50 miles (80 km) zone off the coast of Norway. Atlantic Zones - Atlantic zone shall be within a line drawn from a point on the Greenwich meridian 100 miles (160 km) in a north-north-easterly direction from the Shetland Islands; thence northwards along the Greenwich meridian to latitude 64° north; thence westwards along the 64th parallel to longitude 10° west (64°00′00″N 10°00′00″W); thence to latitude 60° north, longitude 14° west (60°00′00″N 14°00′00″W); thence to latitude 54° 30' north, longitude 30° west (54°30′00″N 30°00′00″W); thence to latitude 44° 20' north, longitude 30° west (44°20′00″N 30°00′00″W); thence to latitude 48° north, longitude 14° west (48°00′00″N 14°00′00″W); thence eastwards along the 48th parallel to a point of intersection with the 50 miles (80 km) zone off the coast of France. Australian Zone - Australian Zone shall extend for a distance of 150 miles (240 km) from the coasts of Australia, except off the north and west coasts of the Australian mainland between the point opposite Thursday Island and the point on the west coast at 20° south latitude (20°00′00″S 119°40′00″E).

Oil Record Book There shall be carried in every ship an oil record book. In the event of such discharge or escape of oil from a ship in a prohibited zone, a signed statement shall be made in the oil record book, by the officer or officers in charge of the operations concerned and by the master of the ship, of the circumstances of and reason for the discharge or escape.

Repeal of Oil Pollution Act of 1961 The 1961 United States statute was repealed by the enactment of Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships on October 21, 1980.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Oil Pollution Act of 1961

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Oil Pollution Act of 1961 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Oil Pollution Act of 1961 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Oil Pollution Act of 1961 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Oil Pollution Act of 1961

In research: Oil Pollution Act of 1961 appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Oil Pollution Act of 1961 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Oil Pollution Act of 1961 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1961 in American law, 1961 in the environment, 87th United States Congress, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Oil Pollution Act of 1961 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Oil Pollution Act of 1961 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Oil Pollution Act of 1961 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Oil Pollution Act of 1961 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Oil Pollution Act of 1961 in simple terms?

Oil Pollution Act of 1961, 33 U.S.C. Chapter 20 §§ 1001–1011, established judicial definitions and coastal prohibitions for the United States maritime industry.

Why does Oil Pollution Act of 1961 matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Oil Pollution Act of 1961?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Oil Pollution Act of 1961.