Corrupt practices in Ukraine – latest news and survey reminder

Overview

BIMCO has received a further update on developments in Ukraine which are provided below together with a renewed call to respond to the survey.

Members were informed on 10 July about a survey on corrupt practices in Ukraine, launched by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN). BIMCO has received a further update on developments in Ukraine which are provided below together with a renewed call to respond to the survey.

As from 13 July the newly elected President of Ukraine communicated a ban on all environmental inspections in national ports for a 2-month period in an attempt to fight corruption in relation to these inspections. However, the ban has not been issued as a formal Executive Order which, from a legal perspective, means limited possibilities for companies to rely on it.

The President’s ban remains an important first step and BIMCO is in dialogue with MACN and, through them, the International Group of P&I Clubs and local stakeholders to see how the matter can best be followed up to make sure that any future environmental controls are carried out fairly, objectively and without corruption. We therefore highly encourage members to report whether any inspections have taken place on board their operated tonnage since 13 July, as this information is important to determine the practical effect of the ban, and to liaise directly with their P&I Club if necessary. The information should include the port name, time and date of inspection, and vessel name. You can send it directly to BIMCO at advice@bimco.org or MACN at macn@bsr.org or through MACN’s anonymous incident reporting mechanism.

Please note that, as a general point, all ships must comply with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) meaning that all ships must carry an approved Ballast Water Management Plan, a Ballast Water Record Book and an International Ballast Water Management Certificate or a Statement of Compliance as appropriate. They must further conduct the appropriate ballast water management operations, and comply with relevant recording and reporting requirements. Ukraine has not yet ratified the IMO BWM Convention.

 
Merete Lund Greisen
in Copenhagen, DK

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