Sea Pollution (Ballast Water Management Convention) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 188/2023).

These Regulations apply to (a) Irish ships; (b) ships, although not entitled to fly the flag of the State, operate under the authority of the State, and (c) ships, other than those referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b), that enter a port, harbor or repair yard in the State. The owner of a ship (in these Regulations referred to as “ship owner”) is responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements set out in these Regulations. The Regulations establish design and construction requirements of ballast water management systems. The ballast water management system shall also have a suitable control and monitoring system that will automatically monitor and record sufficient data to verify the correct operation of the system. Type approval process and certification is regulated by Regulation 7. Each ship ship shall have on board a Ballast Water Management Plan along with a designated officer charged with ensuring that the plan is properly implemented and a Ballast Water Record Book In the case of an Irish ship, the plan shall be approved by the MSO, taking into account Guidelines. The Ballast Water Management Plan shall contain the following: safety procedures, as set out in Guidelines, for the ship and the crew associated with ballast water management; detailed description of the actions to be taken to implement the plan, including the ballast water management requirements; procedures for the disposal of sediments at sea and to shore; procedures for coordinating with authorities of a state in a situation where ballast water management involves discharge into the territorial seas of that state; details of the designated officer and other requirement.
Under Schedule 1 we find the Code for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS Code); the Code is aimed primarily at Administrations, or their designated bodies, in order to assess whether ballast water management systems (BWMS) meet the standard set out in regulation D-2 of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the Convention). In addition, the Code is intended for manufacturers and shipowners as a reference on the evaluation procedure that equipment will undergo and the requirements placed on BWMS. The Code should be applied in an objective, consistent and transparent way and its application should be evaluated periodically by the Organization.