Ballast Water Management status and technologies reviewed at MEPC 68

 

The Convention is ratified by 44 states, representing 32.86%, and it has not yet come into effect. Now, 2,14% more of the world tonnage needed in order the Convention to come in to force. 

 

A “Roadmap for the implementation of the BWM Convention” was agreed, which emphasises that early movers, i.e. ships which install ballast water management systems approved in accordance with the current Guidelines (G8), should not be penalized.  The Roadmap invites the Committee to develop guidance on contingency measures and to expand the trial period associated with the Guidance on ballast water sampling and analysis (BWM.2/Circ.42) into an experience-building phase. 

 

The Committee developed draft amendments to regulation B-3 of the BWM Convention to reflect Assembly resolution A.1088(28) on application of the Convention, with a view to approval at MEPC 69 and consideration for adoption once the treaty enters into force. The draft amendments will provide an appropriate timeline for ships to comply with the ballast water performance standard prescribed in regulation D-2 of the Convention.

 

The Committee received a progress report on a study, initiated by MEPC 67, on the implementation of the ballast water performance standard described in regulation D-2 of the BWM Convention. The study is being executed by the IMO Secretariat in partnership with the World Maritime University (WMU), and an online survey has been launched . The final study report will be submitted to MEPC 69, scheduled for April 2016.  

 

Further ballast water management systems that make use of active substances were granted  Basic Approval (five systems) and Final Approval (one system), following consideration of the reports of the 30th and 31st meetings of the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment Protection (GESAMP) Ballast Water Working Group.  

 

ICS has welcomed the progress made by IMO last week, however suspects the problems that exist with respect to the separate U.S. approval regime still make it unlikely that flag states which have not yet ratified the IMO Convention will wish to do so in the immediate future given that shipowners under their flags, which trade to the United States, could still be unfairly penalised.

 

 

Under the Convention, Ballast Water Management Systems should be type approved by the Administration based on the IMO guideline. In case where “active substances” are used to sterilize harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, the basic approval of the active substances itself by the IMO and the final approval of the systems by the IMO are needed prior to the type approval by the Administration.

 

At this session, five (5) basic approvals and one (1) final approval were granted to Ballast Water Management Systems using active substances. Consequently, the number of systems granted final approval by the IMO has reached thirty seven (37) in total. 

 

At this moment, the number of systems which can be actually installed on board, i.e. which are type-approved by the Administration, including the systems not using active substances, has reached fifty seven (57) in total.