Obligations for Government and the shipping industry
This page provides information for:
Ship owners and masters
Ship masters must not cause or permit the discharge of high risk domestic ballast water into Victorian State waters.
Ship owners and masters must manage their domestic ballast water in accordance with the Waste Management Policy (Ships' Ballast Water) – see clause 10 of policy – (Adobe PDF file from Craftsman Press – the Victorian Government Gazette printer), the Environment Protection (Ships' Ballast Water) Regulations 2006 and the Protocol for Environmental Management – Domestic Ballast Water Management in Victorian State Waters (Adobe PDF file, 295KB).
All ship owners and masters should be aware of their ballast water responsibilities prior to entering Victorian State waters.
It is of paramount importance that the management of domestic ballast is undertaken in a manner that does not compromise the safety of the ship and its crew.
The Flowchart – Domestic Ballast Water Management Steps (Adobe PDF file, 52KB) summarises the key steps that ships must take in order to meet their ballast water obligations and comply with the policy.
All ships that intend to visit a Victorian port must send EPA a Victorian Ballast Water Report Form. This report form requires the master of the ship to provide details about the intention to discharge domestic ballast water, ballast water treatment or exchange and risk assessment results. A copy of this form is also provided in the Protocol for Environmental Management (PEM) (see appendix 1).
If any ship is carrying domestic ballast water it must also complete the Ballast Water Log. This log must be completed even if the ship does not intend to discharge the domestic ballast water. A copy of this log is also provided in the PEM (see appendix 2).
The Victorian Ballast Water Report Form and the Ballast Water Log should be sent to EPA at least 24 hours prior to the ship entering Victorian State waters.
If ships' masters or agents have any difficulties in complying with the domestic ballast water management arrangements, they should contact the EPA Ballast Water Officer as soon as possible to discuss management options.
No domestic ballast water discharge is permitted in Victorian State waters unless approval has been granted from EPA in writing.
Submitting forms to EPA prior to entering Victorian State waters will avoid any unnecessary delays.
Owners, operators and managers of Victorian ports
Owners, operators and managers of Victorian ports play an important support role in implementing the policy. Ports do this by disseminating information about the policy and domestic ballast water management obligations to port users, providing advice to EPA regarding expected shipping arrivals and incorporating domestic ballast water management arrangements into port environment management plans.
Government
EPA Victoria
The Environment Protection Act 1970 provides EPA with tools to protect the environment, including all Victorian State waters. These include waste management policies.
The Waste Management Policy (Ships' Ballast Water) (Adobe PDF file from Craftsman Press – the Victorian Government Gazette printer) is administered by EPA (see clause 12 for specific EPA responsibilities).
There are additional requirements set out in the Environment Protection (Ships' Ballast Water) Regulations 2006.
EPA provides guidance and information to assist ships to comply with these domestic ballast water management arrangements. This includes providing risk-assessment tools to assist ship owners, masters and agents to assess the risks of domestic ballast water.
EPA assesses all reporting forms and ballast logs that are sent by ships and their agents and confirms all instructions to ships in writing.
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) is working with EPA and other Government agencies and shipping and port industries to enhance domestic ballast water risk assessment processes and tools.
DSE is also working with these agencies and industries to contribute to developing acceptable national domestic ballast water management arrangements.