What is the main purpose of ballast water management requirements (e.g. exchange or treatment before discharge)?

A. To improve fuel efficiency by changing the vessel's trim

B. To remove oil contamination from ballast tanks only

C. Ballast water management only applies to oil tankers

D. To reduce the risk of transferring harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens between different regions/ecosystems via ballast water taken on in one port and discharged in another

A. All plastics must be retained on board for discharge to a port reception facility — discharge of plastics into the sea is prohibited under all circumstances

B. Plastics may be burned in the incinerator and the ash discharged overboard

C. Plastics can be discharged if ground down to less than 25mm

D. They may be discharged overboard once the vessel is more than 12nm from the nearest land

A. Only the engineer needs to be present; deck crew are not involved

B. SOPEP equipment only needs to be available if bunkering more than 50% of capacity

C. Nothing specific — bunkering is routine and does not need pre-checks

D. A pre-bunkering checklist completed (hose connections, drip trays, communication with the barge/terminal, spill response equipment ready and accessible), a dedicated watch maintained throughout, and SOPEP equipment immediately available