Wellington is ditching the “Master’s Declaration and Biofouling and Ballast Water Declaration” and is replacing it with the “Biosecurity Pre-Arrival Report”.
The new form will be available for use from 31 October 2024 and, from 01 May 2025, it will be mandatory to use the new form.
The Pre-Arrival Report must be submitted to the NZ Ministry of Primary Industries at least 48 hours prior to the arrival of the vessel in New Zealand’s territory.
There will be no change to how the form is submitted and the Advance Notice of Arrival will still be required. Both can be sent to ap**********@**********vt.nz or directly to ve*****@******vt.nz.
The Biosecurity Pre-Arrival Report will have four parts:
Part 1: Biosecurity – questions to identify biosecurity risks. Includes questions about garbage and pest management, live animals or plants onboard.
Part 2: Biofouling – questions about how biofouling is being managed.
Part 3: Ballast Water – questions bout how biofouling is being managed; this information may be shared with Maritime New Zealand.
Part 4: Ballast Water Declaration – this is on a separate form. It is only required if the vessel intends to discharge ballast water inside NZ territorial waters or if the vessel requires / requests full biosecurity clearance. Part 4 is on a separate form to help avoid delays in submitting Parts 1-3 to the Ministry of Primary Industries.
