Vessels calling at Ukrainian ports will be allowed to discharge segregated ballast water in port waters without restrictions. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted the corresponding resolution entitled “On Amendments to the Rules for Protecting Internal Waters and Territorial Sea of Ukraine from Pollution and Clogging” on November 8.
This step by the Ukrainian government harmonized domestic legislation with the requirements of the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78).
However, according to information by the CFTS, the Cabinet of Ministers resolution was adopted with a reservation, according to which proposals by the Environment Ministry should be taken into consideration subsequently in the regulation. Possibly, it will propose introducing partial control of ships based on age, i.e. only ships built before a certain year will be exempted from inspections. Earlier, representatives of major shipping companies and industry experts had said that complete abolition of the control over segregated ballast water was necessary because this practice was contrary to international practice and created grounds for corruption in environmental regulatory agencies at Ukrainian ports.
In practice, these restrictions have led a number of major international and European shipping and logistics companies to decide to exclude the possibility of calling at Ukrainian ports when chartering their vessels. "The oversight procedures existing today are unnecessary. Not only do they not have a proper environmental justification, they are also not in line with Ukraine’s international agreements on merchant shipping. That is specifically why we are insisting that discharge of segregated ballast at Ukrainian ports should be allowed without restrictions," said Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Kozak.
According to the minister, removal of unnecessary artificial controls and restrictions will help to eliminate the negative factors in the operations of seaports that are associated with delays of vessels, unreasonable fines, and additional financial costs to ship owners.
