ANTAQ Suspends Requirement Imposed on Vessels Berthing at the Port of Santos
On September 4, 2024, the ANTAQ (Portuguese acronym for the National Waterway Transport Agency) ordered the suspension of the mandatory submission of the so-called "Certificate of Compliance" for the disposal of ballast water from vessels.
Since 21 August of this year, the Port Authority of Santos has required this certificate to ensure the proper disposal of ballast water, taking into account the accumulation of sediments and the potential risk of introducing invasive species from foreign waters.
However, this requirement resulted in the imposition of an additional fee on vessels berthing at the Port of Santos, which were obliged to hire a company accredited by the Port Authority itself to issue the certificate. According to ANTAQ Director and rapporteur of the case, Wilson Pereira de Lima Filho, it was concluded that there was a need to suspend such a requirement for further inspection by the technical department of the regulatory agency in order to investigate "possible" violations of ANTAQ Resolutions.
This alert was produced by partner Bernardo Mendes Vianna and by associate Erika Feitosa Chaves, both from the Maritime area, who are available in case of doubts.