ABSTRACT
In order to mitigate the effects caused by harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens contained in ships’ ballast water, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments established the obligation to implement on board a ballast water management system as well as operational limits of depth and distance while sailing off the coast.
This piece of work analyses, having as a reference the Strait of Gibraltar, the main provisions of this Convention applicable to the discharge of ballast water, as well as the general practice established in the Regional Agreement for the management of ballast water in the Mediterranean Sea. This paper also analyses the methodology that Spain should follow in case that the country pondered the possibility of designating a maritime zone for the transfer of ballast water in this geographical area.
