Client Alert: California Marine Invasive Species Program for Ballast Water Management

The California State Lands Commission has issued an update regarding Assembly Bill (AB) 912 being signed into law. The AB will bring in the following changes to the Marine Invasive Species Act as from 1^st January 2020:

(SLC) issued a notice stating that, effective 1st April, the fee paid by a vessel with a qualifying voyage arrival at a California port will increase from $850 to $1,000.

New Penalties for Ballast Water Violations, effective from 1st July 2017.

The preparation of cargo holds for the next intended carriage is a critical operation which requires careful planning and execution; this article considers a number of legal issues which may arise, including terms commonly used in charterparties to describe the cleanliness of cargo holds, the consequences of failing to comply with such terms, potentially resulting in off-hire claims and damages, and the role of the independent surveyor.