The regulation is important because it requires ship operators to track their garbage and take notice of what happens to it.

In accordance with regulation 9 of Annex V, all ships of 400 gross tonnage and above and every ship certified to carry 15 persons or more, and every fixed or floating platform engaged in exploration and exploitation of the seabed, must provide a Garbage Record Book, to record all disposal and incineration operations. The date, time, position of ship, description of the garbage and the estimated amount incinerated or discharged must be logged and signed. The books must be kept for a period of two years after the date of the last entry.