News

Dear Clients,

Please be informed that the Argentine Coast Guard has issued a new operational directive establishing stricter controls for vessels arriving in Argentina with their Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) complying with Regulation D-2 out of service.

The new measures are intended to strengthen ballast water management controls and reduce the risk of introducing invasive aquatic species.

Applicability

These requirements apply to international trading vessels arriving at Argentine ports whose BWMS is out of service and which, as a contingency measure, have carried out Ballast Water Exchange (D-1) in accordance with the Ballast Water Management Convention.

Main Requirements

1. Advance Notification

The vessel shall inform its local agent at least 24 hours before arrival, so that the notification can be submitted to the Argentine Coast Guard.

Vessels bound for ports on the Paraná River: will be required to anchor at Zona Comun for a ballast water salinity inspection.

Vessels bound for any other Argentine port: The same 24-hour notification applies, and the salinity verification will be carried out at the destination port anchorage.

2. Documentation

The Master must submit the duly completed and signed Ballast Water Reporting Form, including:

• Start and completion time of the ballast water exchange.
• Confirmation that the exchange was conducted at least 200 nautical miles from the nearest land, and in waters with a minimum depth of 200 metres.

3. Salinity Verification

The Argentine Coast Guard will verify the salinity of the ballast water.

If the ballast water exchange was not carried out in accordance with Argentine regulations or the measured salinity is below 30 parts per thousand (30 ppt), the vessel will not be permitted to discharge ballast water within Argentine territorial waters under any circumstances.

If deballasting is operationally necessary to conduct cargo operations, the vessel will be required to proceed to an area meeting the regulatory requirements in order to perform a compliant ballast water exchange before returning to port.

Operational Impact

Owners and operators are strongly advised to:

• Verify the operational status of the BWMS well before arrival in Argentina.
• Inform their local agent immediately if the BWMS is inoperative.
• Ensure that any contingency ballast water exchange complies with Convention D-1 requirements.
• Expect possible delays while awaiting ballast water salinity verification before proceeding with cargo operations.

For any questions regarding these new requirements, please feel free to contact us.