10 Preventive actions
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Ballast Water Management - BWM.2/Circular.17 – International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 – (20 October 2008)Guidance document on arrangements for responding to emergency situations involving ballast water operations - Annex – Draft Guidance Document on Arrangements for Responding to Emergency Situations Involving Ballast Water Operations - 10 Preventive actions

10 Preventive actions

  10.1 An emergency situation may be caused by vessels arriving from an area subjected to an emergency or epidemic situation (see paragraph 8.2). In such case, a measure may be established to prohibit the ship from discharging ballast water in certain areas (e.g., inside 200 nautical miles from the coast of the Party). In this case, the Party should be responsible for providing proper guidance to the ship's master, identifying alternative ballast water management measures and for sending information to the Organization. In all cases, the safety of the ship and its crew should be a primary consideration. Options for such action should be laid down in the Emergency Response Plan.

  10.2 For certain emergency situations, appropriate surveillance methods (e.g., maritime crafts, aircrafts, remote sensing, etc.) should be developed in order to define and monitor the status of areas affected by the growth of toxic algae, or other outbreaks of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens.

  10.3 Examples of the impacts from existing harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens or epidemics that have already occurred should be incorporated in the Emergency Response Plan and the plan should be reviewed regularly to incorporate best practice and lessons learnt. Brief information on how problems have been mitigated could also be included.


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