What does MARPOL regulate?

• A. Treaty governing pollution control for ships.
• B. International rules for port state control.
• C. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships; regulates pollution from ships (oil, sewage, garbage, air, ballast water).
• D. Standards for ship stability and hull integrity.

Answer: (C)

MARPOL is the international treaty focused on preventing pollution from ships. It’s formally the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and it covers pollution from ships in several areas: oil, sewage, garbage, air emissions, and ballast water. This combination—naming the exact convention and listing the pollution streams it regulates—is why this choice is best. It’s not just about general pollution control (that would be a broad idea) and it isn’t about port state control (an enforcement regime) or ship safety rules like stability and hull integrity (that's covered by SOLAS). So MARPOL specifically targets preventing those discharges from ships across the outlined categories.