• AFS 2001

International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems, 2001 (ANTI-FOULING)

• ARREST CONVENTION 1999

History

The “International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments” (BWM) is the full name used by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to describe the rules that govern the management of a vessel’s ballast water.

Invasive species carried in the ballast tanks of ships were known as early as 1903. Economic impacts of these introduced organisms cause billions of dollars in damage to fisheries, infrastructure, and tourism each year. Two of the worst infestations globally are the Comb Jelly which has wiped out the anchovie industry on the Black Sea, and the European Zebra Mussel on the Great Lakes of the United States. The alien mussel has already caused an estimated 7 billion dollars in damage in the five lake system.

What is the Maritime Labour Convention?

The International Labour Organization's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 - also known as the Seafarers’ Bill of Rights – sets out the minimum rights that you should expect as a seafarer.

Every ship over 500 gross tonnage operating in international waters or between ports of different countries has to have a maritime labour certificate. This confirms that it complies with the MLC.

The MLC has been described as the first of a new generation of international labour standards “with teeth”.

The MLC incorporates and builds on 68 existing maritime labour conventions and recommendations, as well as other fundamental principles, to ensure decent working and living conditions for all seafarers.

The MLC is designed to sit alongside other regulations such as the IMO standards on ship safety, security and quality ship management (such as SOLAS, STCW and MARPOL). Where those instruments deal more with the vessel and its operation, the MLC deals with your rights as a seafarer.

News that the Turkish Government is planning to construct a huge canal connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara comes at a time when the city elders are becoming increasingly nervous about the amount of oil and gas being transported by ship through the Bosporus.

Around 150 vessels transit the Bosporus daily, of which around 15 are large tankers. The numbers have risen in the past decade, due to the Black Sea countries’ economies picking up and the increase in Russian oil exports.