The Full Form of SOPEP is Ship oil pollution emergency plan.

If you are a maritime professional working on ships, SOPEP locker (room) is one of the important places which you would be asked to familiarise with in the first few days of joining a ship. Let’s understand the importance of knowing SOPEP- Ship Oil Pollution Emergency Plan for a maritime professional.

When an oil spill occurs at sea, it tends to spread over the surface of the sea water, leaving a deadly impact on marine mammals, birds, the shoreline, and most importantly the ocean and the environment.

The cost to clean up an oil spill depends on the quantity and quality of oil discharged in the sea and is calculated on the basis of factors such as legal claims, money paid as penalties, loss of oil, repairs and cleanups, and the most important – loss of marine life and the effects on human health which cannot be measured against any amount.