As of 1 January 2005 all toll paying vessels that transit the Panama Canal with a carrying capacity of oil as cargo and / or fuel in excess of 400 Metric Tons (MT) are required to have a Panama Canal Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (PCSOPEP) authorised by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has produced this model plan to provide guidance to shipping companies on the content of PCSOPEPs required for implementing emergency preparedness strategies for Panama Canal waters.

The ICS model plan is intended as the basis for the development of plans for individual ships and will, of course, need to be amended where appropriate, and text added and / or deleted, to incorporate specific company procedures and to accommodate the individual characteristics of each ship of the company’s fleet.

To assist operators in developing plans for individual ships, sections shaded in grey, or indicated by square brackets, give guidance on some of the factors to be considered. Text shaded in yellow applies specifically to oil tankers and text in blue is only relevant to ships that have access to, or contractual arrangements with, a damage stability information advisor (‘technical advisor’). Particular attention will also need to be paid to individualising checklists and appendices.