This paper discusses the indicators of development possibilities for sea ports of national importance which are opened for public traffic: Rijeka, Ploče, Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, as well as for inland water ports: Vukovar, Osijek, Slavonski Brod and Sisak. Development of traffic and logistic integration processes have been proposed for Croatian sea and river ports, based upon development factors analyses. Croatian sea ports Rijeka, Ploče and inland water cargo ports Osijek, Vukovar, Slavonski Brod and Sisak have been analysed as delivery/forwarding points (nodes), taking into account the directions of goods flows, the participation in the traffic of goods, and all other relevant indicators. The integrated and coordinated approach to the ports and other subjects in the logistic chain redirects the traffic from roads to railways and inland waterways as energy efficient and environmentally – friendly forms of transportation, increases business rationality and optimal organisation users and transportation entities.

The amount of waste generated is becoming an increasing problem both in terms of inefficient use of resources and its harmful effects. Large quantities of waste originate from land, but a certain amount of waste is generated at sea, in which shipping holds its share. A recent analysis for 2015-2016 has rated the Croatian ports of Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar in the top 10 out of 20 main cruising ports in the Adriatic Sea. As it is clear that a large number of persons present onboard generate a large amount of waste, the aim of this paper is to estimate the amount of waste (plastic, domestic, and food) and examine the significance of its increasing quantity produced by cruisers in the three main cruiser ports in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea for the period 2014-2017. Cruise calls correlation, together with repeated measures one-way Analysis of variance -ANOVA, showed that a future increase in the port calls for Zadar can be expected while, for the port of Dubrovnik, a decrease is projected, which is in correspondence with the taken measures for a reduction in the adverse effects of the cruise industry. Regarding the type of waste, domestic waste contributes the most with 62%, followed by the plastic waste with 26%, and food waste, which makes only 11% of the total amount of waste for that year. Waste minimization practices and further recommendations for the improvement of waste management practices are presented and put into relation with specific measures to protect and preserve the quality of the environment.

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Over the last few decades, the spread of invasive aquatic organisms via ships' ballast water became one of the global environmental issues of most concern. The Ballast Water Management Convention is the main instrument of the International Maritime Organization through which a number of regulations and standards have been developed and implemented to manage and control the discharge of ballast water from ships internationally. Since the United States is not a signatory to the The Ballast Water Management Convention, all ships operating in United States waters must comply with United States Ballast Water Management federal regulations. The paper highlights the essential The Ballast Water Management Convention and United States national Ballast Water Management regime topics to be recognised by the stakeholders of the shipping industry, predominantly ship operators and shipowners. Particular attention is given to the Ballast Water Management Systems type approval process where United States testing protocol and requirements are considered to be more rigorous and comprehensive compared to the International maritime Organization's type approval protocol. Although the Ballast Water Management regulations are considered to be matured they are still "living" provisions, and further regulatory enhancements are likely to be expected in the future. Therefore, it would be beneficial for all Ballast Water Management stakeholders to harmonize the Ballast Water Management Systems type approval requirements. Sažetak Tijekom posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća, širenje invazivnih vodenih organizama putem balastnih voda na brodovima postalo je jedno od globalnih ekoloških pitanja od najveće važnosti. Konvencija o upravljanju balastnim vodama je glavni instrument Međunarodne pomorske organizacije putem kojega su razvijeni i implementirani brojni propisi i standardi za upravljanje i kontrolu ispuštanja balastnih voda s brodova na međunarodnoj razini. Budući da Sjedinjene Američke Države nisu potpisnice konvencije o upravljanju balastnim vodama, svi brodovi koji rade u vodama Sjedinjenih Država moraju udovoljavati saveznim propisima o upravljanju balastnim vodama. U radu se ističu bitne teme Konvencije o upravljanju balastnim vodama i nacionalnog režima upravljanja balastnim vodama Sjedinjenih Država, koje će prepoznati dionici pomorske industrije, uglavnom brodarska poduzeća i brodovlasnici. Posebna pozornost posvećena je postupku odobravanja tipa Sustava za tretiranje balastnih voda u kojem se protokol i zahtjevi za testiranje u SAD-u smatraju strožima i opsežnijima u odnosu prema protokolu odobravanja Međunarodne pomorske organizacije. Iako se smatra da su propisi o upravljanju balastnim vodama sazreli, oni su i dalje "živi" propisi, a daljnja regulatorna poboljšanja vjerojatno će se očekivati u budućnosti. Zato bi bilo korisno za sve dionike upravljanja balastnim vodama uskladiti zahtjeve za odobravanjem tipa Sustava za tretiranje balastnih voda. KEY WORDS Ballast Water Management (BWM) regulations Ballast Water Management System (B...