MARPOL 73/78 stands for the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978. It is the primary international treaty that addresses the prevention of pollution from ships.

MARPOL 73/78 regulates oil pollution, sewage pollution, and air pollution from ships. Noise pollution is not regulated by MARPOL 73/78.

The purpose of OPRC is to establish international standards for oil spill preparedness and response, to provide compensation to victims of oil spills, and to promote cooperation among states in responding to oil spills.

The AFS Convention is intended to prevent the discharge of harmful substances from anti-fouling systems on ships, the introduction of invasive species into marine environments, and the spread of marine diseases.

The purpose of the BWM Convention is to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through ships' ballast water, to establish standards for the treatment and discharge of ships' ballast water, and to promote cooperation among states in managing ships' ballast water.

The London Convention is intended to prevent the dumping of wastes and other matter into the ocean, the incineration of wastes at sea, and the discharge of sewage from ships.

The purpose of the FUND Convention is to provide compensation to victims of oil spills, to establish an international fund to pay for oil spill cleanup costs, and to promote cooperation among states in responding to oil spills.

The CLC Convention is intended to ensure that shipowners are liable for oil pollution damage, that victims of oil pollution damage are compensated, and that states cooperate in responding to oil spills.

The Salvage Convention is intended to establish a uniform set of rules governing salvage operations, to provide compensation to salvors for their services, and to promote cooperation among states in responding to maritime casualties.

The LLMC Convention is intended to limit the liability of shipowners for maritime claims.

The STCW Convention is intended to establish minimum standards for the training, certification, and watchkeeping of seafarers, to promote cooperation among states in the training and certification of seafarers, and to ensure that seafarers are competent to operate ships safely.

The SOLAS Convention is intended to establish minimum standards for the safety of ships, to promote cooperation among states in ensuring the safety of ships, and to ensure that ships are safe to operate.

The LL Convention is intended to establish uniform rules and regulations for the assignment of load lines to ships, to ensure that ships are loaded safely, and to promote cooperation among states in the assignment of load lines.

The Tonnage Convention is intended to establish uniform rules and regulations for the measurement of ships' tonnage, to ensure that ships' tonnage is measured accurately, and to promote cooperation among states in the measurement of ships' tonnage.

The BWM Convention is intended to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through ships' ballast water, to establish standards for the treatment and discharge of ships' ballast water, and to promote cooperation among states in managing ships' ballast water.