Regulations and legislation

SODES takes positions and defends them vis-à-vis public-sector decision-makers. It ensures that the marine industry’s concerns and realities are taken into account in measures and actions designed to provide a public framework for marine transport.

The following are some of the files SODES monitors:

Ballast water

• SODES has taken a stand on New York’s proposed enforcement of ballast water management standards which are 100 times stricter than their international counterparts and would necessitate the implementation of ballast water treatment systems by far exceeding the international standards defined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Currently, no technology exists to allow such strict standards to be met.

Draft Bill proposing a new Sustainable Regional and Local Land Use Development and Planning Act

• SODES has made recommendations on the draft Sustainable Regional and Local Land Use Development and Planning Act, designed primarily to ensure that local and regional land use organization takes port realities into account and protects transportation axes used for industrial purposes and servicing ports, among others.