Workshop on Anti Fouling Systems / Ballast water management

The European Union (EU) funded TRACECA Maritime Safety and Security II Project within its activities 4 organized a workshop on Anti Fouling Systems / Ballast water management.

This workshop was organized in Astana, Kazakhstan, from Wednesday 2 December to Friday 4 December 2016.

The workshop allowed to stock of the level of implementation of the AFS Convention, in particular, with respect to the survey and inspection procedures adopted by the Black and Caspian coastal States, and to exchange views regarding the best practices with regard to these surveys and inspections. The seminar on the AFS Convention was delivered together with the regional Consolidation and Implementation Training Course on the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, 2004 (aiming to promote awareness in the Region and to support preparatory steps of implementation).

The following issues were discussed within the Workshop:

- General introduction to the BWM Convention

- Obligations of Parties to the BWM Convention

- Ballast water management under the BWM Convention

- Risk assessment under the BWM Convention

- Compliance monitoring and enforcement

- Analysis of ballast water samples

- Preparatory mesures for BWM Convention ratification and implementation

- Preparatory measures for BWM Convention ratification and implementation. Bulgarian experience

- Current BWM work at IMO

- Why AFS Convention: Background and History; Status of the Convention

- The International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships: Articles, Annexes, Conference Resolutions

- The Guidelines: Guideline for Survey and Certification of Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, Guideline for Brief Sampling of Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships, Guidelines for Inspection of Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships

- Obligations of Parties to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships: As a Flag State, As a Port State