Terms of Reference

Evaluation of Existing Risk Assessment Methods for Granting Ballast Water Management Exemptions

National Advisory Meeting – National Capital Region

February 23-25, 2021
Virtual meeting

Chairperson: Thomas Pratt

Context

Transport Canada regulates the ballast water of ships to mitigate the risks of introducing and spreading harmful aquatic species in Canada’s waters. Transport Canada’s ballast water policy and regulatory program is supported by DFO science advice. In 2010, Canada acceded to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the Convention) and, in June 2019, Canada’s proposed ballast water regulations to implement the Convention in Canada were pre-published in the Canada Gazette 1.

Regulation A-4 of the Convention allows Canada to exempt ships from requirements to manage ballast water for up to five years, based on certain conditions. These include a risk assessment based on the International Maritime Organization’s G7 Guidelines for Risk Assessment, which calls for a scientifically robust assessment that can distinguish between unacceptable high-risk scenarios and acceptable low-risk scenarios with respect to Canada’s environment, human health, property and resources. Additionally, exemptions must not impair or damage the environment, human health, property or resources of adjacent or other states.

Canada’s proposed regulations include this exemption provision. Because unmanaged ballast water discharges have been found to pose a high risk in all areas of Canada, Transport Canada does not anticipate that Canada would grant large numbers of exemptions. However, Transport Canada intends to accept applications from vessel owners for exemptions that meet the requirements of the Convention. These applications would be considered on a case-by-case basis. Transport Canada intends to develop guidelines for applicants, and envisions that applications would be reviewed in conjunction with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

At this time, Transport Canada is seeking science advice to support its development of a Canadian regime for accepting and assessing exemption applications that protects Canada’s environment and is fair to industry. Specifically, DFO is asked to provide science advice related to methodologies that may be used to evaluate the risk of granting ballast water exemptions in waters under Canadian jurisdiction.

Objectives

The objective of this science advisory process is to:

Conduct an evaluation of two ballast water risk assessment methods previously considered by the International Maritime Organization by conducting a literature review and applying the selected methods to case studies in Canada to:

1. Identify advantages, limitations and uncertainties of each risk assessment method,
2. Identify circumstances under which the risk assessment may not adequately assess the risk of ballast water,
3. Identify recommended method(s) of risk assessment to be used in ballast water management exemption applications within Transport Canada’s regime for accepting and assessing exemption applications

Expected Publications

• Research Document
• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings Document

Expected Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Transport Canada
• Industry
• Academia
• International