Final answer:
Inbound cargo personnel performing quality control after degraded operations must verify ballast water management and integrity, ensuring it complies with BW management regulations and helps prevent the spread of non-indigenous species.
Step-by-step explanation:
When performing quality control after degraded operations, inbound cargo personnel must verify the integrity and management of ballast water (BW), as it is crucial for maintaining a ship's stability and reducing the risk of introducing non-indigenous species (NIS) through ballasting operations.
Container ships have the ability to transfer BW internally to maintain stability, thereby sometimes avoiding the need for ballast water exchange (BWE). Verification of BW should ensure compliance with management regulations and that BW has been sourced from open ocean sources rather than coastal sources, as per the practices adopted in response to BW management regulations.