The Deputy Ministry of Shipping recently announced that the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (the Ballast Water Management Convention) will enter into force in Cyprus on 8 November 2018 pursuant to Article 18.3 of the convention.
An English translation of the law ratifying the convention is available on the ministry's website. The translation is for information purposes and has no legal force.1
No later than the first annual, intermediate or renewal survey, whichever occurs soonest after 8 November 2018, authorised and recognised organisations should replace any statement of compliance with an international ballast water management certificate, with an expiry date no later than that of the existing statement of compliance. No additional survey is required as long as the statement of compliance was issued under the same survey requirements applicable under the Ballast Water Management Convention and there have been no modifications or change of conditions since it was issued.
The Cyprus authorities will apply the requirements of the convention to ships that fly the flag of a country which is not a party to the convention to the extent necessary to ensure that they are not treated more favourably than ships flying the flag of parties to the convention.
Footnotes
1 Law 5(III)/2018.
Originally published in International Law Office