MINSK, 13 May (BelTA) – Belarus has joined the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, BelTA learned from the National Legal Internet Portal.
The press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization informed Belarus about depositing the document on Belarus' ascension to the convention on 23 March 2020. The convention was adopted in London on 13 February 2004 and amended on 1 April 2018. For Belarus, the convention will come into effect on 23 June 2020.
The convention lays down norms and rules on the management of ballast waters and sediments to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens from one region to another. In particular, it requires all member states to draw up and implement a ballast water management plan.
