This workshop was the third in a series of workshops on this issue and was organised by the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP). Other workshops in this series were presented in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in October last year. These workshops were presented as part of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)/SPREP Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Programme (PACPOL) and in cooperation with the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority and AMSA. The activity is another example of AMSA's support of the IMO's Integrated Technical Co-operation Programme (ITCP) activities and of the importance AMSA attaches to pollution prevention in the Pacific Ocean.
The training was delivered by Annalisse Sly from AMSA and Anthony Talouli from SPREP. It included: an introduction to ballast water management and harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens; the International Convention for the Control and Management of ships Ballast Water and Sediments 2004 (BWM Convention) and supporting guidelines; other international instruments, principles and strategies related to the BWM Convention; flag, port and coastal State aspects of ballast water management and implementation of the Convention; and compliance, monitoring and enforcement elements of the BWM Convention. This workshop effectively brought together officers from a wide range of organisations from PNG to discuss the issue of ballast water management in their country.
