11.11 The master has a general obligation to provide reasonable assistance for the above monitoring which may include provision of officers or crew, provision of the ship's plans, records pertaining to ballast arrangements and details concerning the location of sampling points.
11.12 Sampling methods for research and monitoring is the responsibility of the individual port State. The Organization welcomes information on new or innovative methods of sampling and/or analysis, and any relevant information should be provided to it.
11.13 Port State authorities should indicate to the master or responsible officer the purpose for which a sample is taken (i.e., monitoring, research or enforcement). Results of analyses of samples should be made available to ship's operators on request.
11.14 Port State authorities may sample or require samples to analyse ballast water and sediment, before permitting a ship to proceed to discharge its ballast water in environmentally sensitive locations. In the event that harmful aquatic organisms or pathogens are found to be present in the samples, a port State's contingency strategy may be applied.
