| INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION |
IMO
|
MEPC 42/8
28 May 1998
Original:ENGLISH
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MARITIME ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION
COMMITTEE
42nd session
Agenda item 8
HARMFUL AQUATIC ORGANISMS IN BALLAST WATER
Report of the Working Group on Ballast Water
convened during MEPC 41
SUMMARY
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| Executive
Summary: |
This report contains the results of considerations at the Ballast Water Working Group meeting held during the 41 st session of the Committee. The Chairman presented an oral report to the Committee reflecting the status of current work, as set out in MEPC 41/20, paragraphs 9.7 to 9.13. Attention is drawn to the request of the Committee that the Secretariat circulates the draft regulations and the associated draft Code as soon as possible in order to allow all members of the Working Group to submit comments and proposals for additional amendments (MEPC 41/20, paragraph 9.1 1 ). The Secretariat was further requested to prepare a paper outlining possible legal framework options for ballast water management regulations. Such a paper will be issued in due course. |
| Action to be Taken: |
Paragraph 34 |
| Related documents: |
MEPC 41/9 MECP 41/20 |
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Introduction
1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee at its forty-first session approved the report of its Ballast Water Working Group (MEPC 41/9), which had met in conjunction with MEPC 40. In this connection the MEPC Chairman informed the Committee that the IMO Assembly had adopted the Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water as prepared by the Working Group, under resolution A.868(20). This resolution requested governments to take urgent action in applying the Guidelines as a basis for national requirements and measures. It also requested MSC to evaluate safety aspects in relation to ballast water exchange at sea, as well as design objectives for new ships that would facilitate water exchange at sea in a safe manner. The Chairman further recalled that the Assembly reiterated its request addressing MEPC to work towards completion of legally binding provisions on ballast water management in the form of a new Annex to MARPOL 73/78.
2 The Committee reconvened the Working Group on Ballast Water and instructed it to:
.1 continue the work regarding regulations on ballast water management
.2 continue the preparation of implementation guidelines for the effective application of regulations. In this connection the Chairman noted that the question on the legal framework for ballast water regulations as well as the question regarding guidelines or code to facilitate their implementation have still been left open, but would have to be decided upon at MEPC 42;
.3 prepare a questionnaire for the collection of information on ballast water management practices applied in Member States;
.4 provide expert advice for the effective implementation of the GEF project;
.5 consider the current state of preparations for a Ship s Ballast Water Management Plan;
.6 continue consideration of preparing education and awareness material for Member States; and
.7 prepare a workplan identifying tasks to be carried out before the proposed conference in 2000.
