The Merchant Shipping (Control of Ballast Water and Sediments) Regulation (Commencement) Notice was gazetted today (June 12).
The Secretary for Transport and Housing has appointed August 13, 2020, as the day on which the Merchant Shipping (Control of Ballast Water and Sediments) Regulation (Cap 413Q) comes into operation. This is to tie in with the date when the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will be applied to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The Regulation was enacted by the Legislative Council earlier on.
After the commencement of the Regulation, the standards and procedures of the HKSAR for the management and control of ships' discharge of ballast water and sediments will be in line with the relevant international requirements established by the IMO.
The commencement notice will be tabled to the Legislative Council on June 17 for negative vetting.
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