Ballast Water Management Convention to enter into force in 2017.

KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE – BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT CONVENTION - Seagull Maritime 2016.

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) will enter into force on 8 September 2017, marking a landmark step towards halting the spread of invasive aquatic species, which can cause havoc for local ecosystems, affect biodiversity and lead to substantial economic loss.

Under the Convention’s terms, ships will be required to manage their ballast water to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast water and sediments

Invasive aquatic species are one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans, and can cause extremely severe environmental, economic and public health impacts. Shipping is essential to the global economy, providing the most cost-effective means of transporting bulk goods over great distances. Over 90% of all global trade is carried by ships, with some 50,000 merchant ships sailing the world’s oceans.

“The spread of invasive species has been recognized as one of the greatest threats to the ecological and the economic well-being of the planet. These species are causing enormous damage to biodiversity and the valuable natural riches of the earth upon which we depend. Invasive species also cause direct and indirect health effects and the damage to the environment is often irreversible,” said IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim. He added, “The entry into force of the Ballast Water Management Convention will not only minimize the risk of invasions by alien species via ballast water, it will also provide a global level playing field for international shipping, providing clear and robust standards for the management of ballast water on ships.”

The Convention will require all ships in international trade to manage their ballast water and sediments to certain standards, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. All ships will also have to carry a ballast water record book and an International Ballast Water Management Certificate. The ballast water performance standard will be phased in over a period of time. Most ships will need to install an on-board system to treat ballast water and eliminate unwanted organisms.

ICS AND INTERTANKO looks to IMO for Clarification

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) repeats that it is now more vital than ever that IMO Member States finalise the revision of the G8 Type Approval Guidelines for treatment systems at the next session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee this October. ICS states it is important to ensure that shipowners can have absolute confidence that the expensive equipment they will soon have to install will be effective in treating ballast water conditions normally encountered during worldwide operations and be regarded as fully compliant during Port State Control inspections. ICS says there is still great uncertainty with respect to the more stringent United States approval regime for treatment equipment, which started to be enforced in January 2014.

INTERTANKO’s Managing Director, Katharina Stanzel agrees with ICS and states: “The entry into force of an international Convention providing global requirements will always be welcomed by INTERTANKO and the international shipping industry. In practical terms this development provides certainty for owners with a firm date now in place from which installation and dry docking schedules can be determined. However, this must be balanced against the fact that the IMO has yet to complete its work on reviewing and revising the G-8 type approval guidelines for ballast water management systems.” INTERTANKO’s Environment Director, Tim Wilkins, added that: “INTERTANKO and its industry partners have pushed hard for more robust type approval procedures for ballast water management systems,”