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Australian ballast water management requirements
AQIS is the lead agency for the management of ballast water taken up overseas with the intention of discharge within an Australian port. Part of AQIS's charter is to ensure that foreign ballast water has been managed in accordance with the Australian Ballast Water Management Requirements before permitting its discharge inside Australia's territorial sea (12 nautical limit generally applies).
Any ballast water that has been exchanged at sea, by an approved method, is deemed to be acceptable for discharge in Australian ports / waters.
Vessels must retain all ballast water records in the AQIS Ballast Water Management Summary Sheet and any relevant vessel logbooks, and make these available to quarantine officers on request. Refer to the Guide to AQIS Ballast Water Reporting Forms for information on completing the AQIS Ballast Water Management Summary sheet.
Australian ballast water management requirements are consistent with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines for minimising the risk of translocation of harmful aquatic species in ships' ballast water. Safety of vessels and crews is of paramount importance. Vessels undertaking ballast water management to comply with Australian requirements should do so in accordance with the IMO guidelines and the Mariners' Guide to Ballast Regulations in Australia.
- Australian Ballast Water Management Requirements- version 4
PDF [122kb]
- AQIS Ballast Water Management Summary Sheet
Word [104kb] - AQIS Ballast Water Management Summary Sheet PDF [66kb]
- AQIS Ballast Water Management Summary Sheet – Example PDF [63kb]
- Guide to AQIS Ballast Water Reporting Forms PDF [187kb]
- Mariners' Guide to Ballast Regulations in Australia PDF [109kb]
