Contemporary Economy (Dec 2016)
THE PRECAUTIONARY PROCEDURES IN THE CASE OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THE BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT CON-VENTION’S STANDARDS – POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR POLISH PORTS
Abstract
On September 8, 2017 the International Convention for the Control and Manage-ment of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWMC) adopted in 2004 will enter into force. It imposes a lot of requirements on shipowners and port states. The aim of this article is to elaborate on the possible solutions that may be adopted in Polish ports as precau-tionary measures in the case of non-compliance with the provisions of BWMC. The article starts with a brief overview of BWMC and ballast water quality stand-ards. Further, it discusses the possible implications of not meeting the ballast water quality standards under BWMC. The elaboration of potential solutions and mitigation measures in the event of non-compliance with the BWMC constitutes the main part of the article. These are crucial to developing a port contingency plan and include, for example, shore-based reception facility for ballast water, mobile ballast water treatment systems, and using potable water. The article ends with a brief analysis of a possible fee systems for reception of ballast water. The research was based on a comprehensive analysis of the Convention and related legal documents, interviews with ports’ representatives as well as e-mail interviews with maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea countries.
