National Environment Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 24 of 2008)

Regulations

Environmental Management of Ship-to-Ship Transfer, 2025

Chapter 2 - Environmental Management

4. Wildlife monitoring and mitigation

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(1)A ship-to-ship transfer operator must appoint any person, in writing, to keep a constant watch for marine mammals and penguins for a period of thirty minutes prior to the intended commencement of ship-to-ship transfer and during ship-to-ship transfer .

 

(2)A ship-to-ship transfer operator must, prior to commencing ship-to-ship transfer, install an active hydrophone system with live streaming capabilities capable of detecting the presence of marine mammals and penguins within 500 meters of the operation.

 

(3)The hydrophone must be deployed into the water from the ship-to-ship transfer tanker 30 minutes prior to the intended commencement of, and during, ship-to-ship transfer operations.

 

(4)A ship-to-ship transfer operator may not commence with ship-to-ship transfer if a marine mammal or penguin is sighted within 500 meters of the intended ship-to-ship transfer site or detected through a hydrophone within 500 meters.

 

(5)The ship-to-ship transfer operator must, in writing, report any sightings or hydrophone detection of a marine mammal or penguin during ship-to-ship transfer to the Department on a monthly basis.

 

(6)A ship-to-ship transfer operator must immediately report the following to the Department through the most effective means reasonably available:
(a)any injured or deceased marine mammal, turtle or seabird and the extent of any injury to the animal as well as the cause of the injury or death if known;
(b)any entangled, oiled or disorientated marine mammal, turtle or seabird; and
(c)whether an animal in paragraphs (a) or (b) is tagged including the tag details, where available.

 

(7)A ship-to-ship transfer operator must—
(a)at its expense, collect and transport oiled wildlife to a facility which is authorised to accept the wildlife; or
(b)contact an authorised wildlife facility to collect and transport oiled wildlife at the expense of the operator,

if the Minister instructs the operator to do so.