GloBallast Regional Training Workshop on Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention – Mar 15, 2011
The Mediterranean was the first region for a pilot GloBallast Regional Training Workshop on the Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) of the BWM Convention. This Training Workshop formed part of the preparatory work for a GloBallast training package on CME issues, currently being developed by the GloBallast Partnerships Project Coordination Unit (PCU) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and which will be used to deliver similar training events in other regions of the world.
The Workshop was organised by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), in close co-operation with IMO and the Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of Croatia, and held in Split, Croatia, between 15 and 16 March 2011. REMPEC is the Regional Coordination Organisation (RCO) for the implementation of the GloBallast Partnerships Project in the Mediterranean region.
Delivered within the framework of the GEF/ UNDP / IMO GloBallast Partnerships Project, the Workshop provided practical knowledge on CME approaches of the BWM Convention. It was funded by IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) and by REMPEC’s Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF) budget.
Thirty five (35) participants representing nineteen (19) Mediterranean coastal States attended the Workshop coordinated by REMPEC, the GloBallast PCU, and Mr Zafrul Alam, Assistant Director of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore who acted as the lead consultant for this Workshop. Participants consisted of officers involved or expected to be involved in flag and/or port State control inspections carried out under the provisions of the BWM Convention.
Besides Mr Alam, GloBallast PCU and REMPEC, the lecturers at the workshop included Mr Brian Elliot, Senior Project Officer for Environment Protection at the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), Mr Tonci Tadic, Director of Environmental Strategy at Zodiac Maritime Agencies Ltd., Dr Raphael Baumler, Assistant Professor at the World Maritime University (WMU), Ms Ivana Marovic, from the Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure of Croatia and Dr. Arzu Olgun, Senior Researcher at Tubitak - Marmara Research Centre in Turkey.
The workshop familiarised participants with the provisions of the BWM Convention and its application during flag and port State control, as well as with the development of an appropriate national regulatory framework for the implementation of the Convention including sampling requirements and techniques. A practical view on the application and enforcement of the Convention was also presented by a representative of the shipping industry.
Participants at the workshop had the opportunity to share their experiences and concerns related to the enforcement of the BWM Convention, which is expected to enter into force in the near future. They also participated in desk top and role play exercises on the implementation of the Convention.