Ballast water management (BWM)
Ballast water management came into effect in New Zealand on the 8th of September 2017.
Ballast water management applies to all New Zealand commercial and recreational vessels that:
- have the ability to carry non-permanent ballast water, and
- are undertaking international voyages
An international voyage includes a voyage between two ports in another country.
Does BWM apply to your ship?
Refer to the section on the BWM Guidelines - 2. Which ships are affected? for a quick guideline on whether or not BWM will apply to your vessel:
Ballast water management guidelines [PDF: 1.67Mb, 45 pages]BWM also applies to fishing vessels that use refrigerated sea water tanks (RSW) or non-dedicated ballast water tanks for stability when on non-fishing international voyages.
Ballast water requirements for fishing vessels
If you are planning a one-off international voyage, check to see what you need to do to comply.
What do you need to do to comply
Exemptions
In very limited circumstances, your vessel may be granted an exemption for meeting ballast water management requirements if you have received an exemption from the coastal state to which you are travelling.
Contact us for more help
If you have any questions about ballast water management, please contact our Operator Certification team.
Phone:
New Zealand (toll free):
0508 22 55 22
Calling from outside New Zealand:
+64 4 473 0111
Email:
operators@maritimenz.govt.nz
Tell us what you need help with and remember to include your contact details (email address and phone numbers).