The Seventeenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (“the Barcelona Convention”) and its Protocols, which was convened in Paris, France from 8 to 10 February 2012, adopted the Mediterranean Strategy on Ships’ Ballast Water Management, including its Action Plan and Timetable as well as the “General Guidance on the Voluntary Application of the D1 Ballast Water Exchange Standard by Vessels Operating between the Mediterranean Sea and the North-East Atlantic and/or the Baltic Sea” (UNEP(DEPI)/MED IG.20/8), which are presented in the Appendix to the below Terms of Reference.

The general objective of the Strategy is to establish the framework for a regional harmonised approach in the Mediterranean on ships’ ballast water control and management which is consistent with the requirements and standards of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention), as outlined in its Article 13.3.

The Strategy is composed of eight Strategic Priorities and of an Action Plan.  The Action Plan identifies eight main measures to be taken at regional level, sub-regional or national level in accordance with the Strategic Priorities.  The Action Plan includes a Workplan/Timetable for its implementation, which covered the years 2011-2015.

In this context and, in light of Strategic Priority 7, whereby the Strategy and Action Plan should be subject to periodic review to take into account emerging issues, outcomes of Research and Development (R&D) activities and experience gained from its operation and implementation, the Nineteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, which was convened in Athens, Greece from 9 to 12 February 2016, agreed to include an assessment of the level of implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Ships’ Ballast Water Management in the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) Programme of Work and Budget 2016-2017.

The main objective of the assessment of the level of implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Ships’ Ballast Water Management, which is financed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), is to report on the status of implementation of the said Strategy for each Contracting Party to the Barcelona Convention, including a review and evaluation of the on-going relevance of the said Strategy and overall effectiveness of activities carried out under its Action Plan.

To support REMPEC in carrying out this activity, in cooperation with the MAP Coordinating Unit and the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), proposals for the provision of consultancy services for the assessment of the level of implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Ships’ Ballast Water Management should be sent to Ms Karen Tanti (temporary.secretary@rempec.org) not later than five (5) p.m. (Malta local time) on Thursday, 31 March 2016 and should contain:

1. a technical proposal detailing the work plan (as described in the below Terms of Reference);
2. a copy of your Curriculum Vitae; and
3. a quote for the completion of the duties detailed in the below Terms of Reference, including travel and subsistence costs to attend the Kick-off Meeting in Malta.

Questions about the Terms of Reference should be sent to Ms Karen Tanti (temporary.secretary@rempec.org).  Questions and Answers (Q&A) related to this Call for Proposals will be published on REMPEC’s website.

Read more:

• Terms of reference for the provision of consultancy services for the assessment of the level of implementation of the Mediterranean strategy on ships’ ballast water management