Who is responsible for submitting the Duty to Report form, and who is it typically delegated to?

• A. The Environmental Officer
• B. The Captain
• C. The Master (delegated to the Environmental Officer)
• D. Port State Authority

Answer: (C)

Submitting the Duty to Report form rests with the Master of the vessel, who has the legal responsibility for pollution reporting and overall compliance. In practice, this responsibility is typically delegated to the Environmental Officer onboard, who is the on-board specialist for environmental matters and handles the data gathering, form preparation, and submission on the Master’s authority. The Master signs off or authorizes the submission, while the Environmental Officer performs the actual filing to the appropriate authority. The Port State Authority is the recipient of the report, not the party who prepares or submits it. Since the Captain is the same person as the Master in maritime terms, this delegation aligns with standard practice.