Ballast water management for sustainable development – some remarks on Polish law

Maritime Law Department, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Gdańsk, Poland

^* Corresponding author: dpyc@prawo.ug.edu.pl

Abstract

The main aim of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) is to prevent, minimize and ultimately eliminate the risk of introducing harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOP) transferred in ships’ ballast waters and sediments to non-native environment for them, mainly for waters in seaports and coastal waters. The BWM Convention entered into force globally on 8 September 2017. This convention is based on the precautionary principle and the ecosystem approach to achieving sustainable development goals. Effective protection and preservation of the maritime environment depends on the preventive and reasonable actions, especially in case of environmental threats or combating pollution. This means that it is necessary to react efficiently by relevant authorities and boost international and regional cooperation, as well as development of other instruments such as inspection and reporting systems. The purpose of this paper is to present the state of preparation to the implementation of the BWM Convention in connection with its ratification by Poland, which is planned for 2018.