Deemed marine discharge consents

If you are an existing petroleum operator who has a discharge management plan (DMP) approved by Maritime New Zealand, some transitional provisions may apply to you. The following parts of your discharge management plan (DMP) will collectively be deemed as a marine discharge consent:

• Parts relating to the harmful substances held on board and those that are discharged
• The method for measuring the oil content of discharges
• Procedures for reporting oil spills
• Parts relating to environmental monitoring.

Your DMP will be treated as a deemed marine discharge consent for its remaining duration. Some of the Part 200 Marine Protection Rules (MPR) that applied to your DMP will become conditions of the deemed marine discharge consent. The EPA will monitor compliance with your deemed marine discharge consent and the associated conditions.

Changes to the discharges of harmful substances

If you hold a deemed discharge consent and plan to make changes to the discharged harmful substances listed on your consent, you need to apply for a marine discharge consent. If you already hold a marine discharge consent, changes to harmful substances that are discharged can be made through a change of condition application. A description of the hazardous substance(s) that includes physical, chemical, toxic and ecotoxic properties will ensure timely processing of the application.

Emergency spill response plan

All offshore installations require an emergency spill response plan (ESRP) for spills of harmful substances. These are substances that are ecotoxic to aquatic organisms and hazardous for the purposes of the Hazardous Substances (Minimum Degrees of Hazard) Regulations 2001. The ESRP excludes oil, which is covered under Maritime New Zealand's oil spill contingency plan.

The EPA has developed an expedited process to assess changes to the inventory of hazardous substances for approved Emergency Spill Response Plans (ESRP). Providing all the information requested on the ESRP Application Form for hazardous substances will ensure timely processing of these changes. If you need to make any changes to the contact details or personnel responsibilities contained with your ESRP, you must notify the EPA in writing and provide the updated information. This process can be completed by email.

Emergency Spill Response Plan (ESRP) application form (docx 365KB)

Permitted discharges of harmful substances

The Discharge and Dumping Regulations 2015 permit certain discharges of harmful substances, including oil, which otherwise are restricted by the EEZ Act. To be able to undertake a permitted discharge, you must comply with the conditions set out in the Discharge and Dumping Regulations 2015. The following discharges are permitted under the Regulations:

• The discharge of harmful substances into a petroleum well that are generated during, or used for, the operation of an offshore installation
• The discharge of oil mixed with water from a machinery space on an offshore installation
• The discharge of seawater contaminated with oil from operational purposes, such as produced oil tank cleaning water, produced oil tank hydrostatic testing water, and water from the ballasting of a produced oil tank to carry out inspection by rafting.