Ballast sampling requirement

24 Jun 2025 / Saudi Arabia

Indicative Ballast Sampling is now required for all vessels arriving at the industrial ports of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from international waters.

This applies specifically to vessels intending to discharge ballast water that has an initial ballast water source from the sea outside the territorial waters of Saudi Arabia.

This requirement is enforced under:

  • Saudi Ports Authority MAWANI's Ballast Water Discharge Guidelines under Security, Safety, and Environment Standards–2025, ENV-P.04.02, Section 4.2.2.1 - Compulsory requirement for evidentiary testing procedures for ships coming from International Waters to the Industrial ports of Saudi Arabia.

  • Ministry of Environment Water & Agriculture (MEWA) Executive Regulation for Sustainable Management of the Marine and Coastal Environment, Article (5) & (6) - All marine vehicles must conduct inferential tests before discharging ballast water loaded from outside Saudi Arabia’s territorial waters and are prohibited from dumping, discharging, or disposing of pollutants—including ballast water. Violation #29 stipulates that failure to conduct indicative tests is subject to penalties ranging from 50,000 to 2,000,000.

  • Public Prosecution’s latest announcement - Discharging or disposing of pollutants, including ballast water from maritime transport vessels, can result in a financial fine of up to 30 million Riyals or imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both penalties.

For further details, as well as information about operations in Saudi Arabia, contact GAC Saudi Arabia at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.

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