The IMO Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 10), 24-28 April 2023, agreed to a draft Protocol for verification of ballast water compliance monitoring devices, to be submitted to MEPC 80 for approval.
According to IMO, the development of the Protocol follows intensive work in the Sub-Committee, including in a dedicated Correspondence Group, over a number of years. This Protocol is an important tool to support effective implementation of the BWM Convention by enabling the use of devices for a variety of purposes that satisfy a common level of quality.
These devices include:
- commissioning testing of ballast water management systems,
- port State control inspections,
- and ships’ self-monitoring.
Additionally, the Sub-Committee agreed to a draft unified interpretation to the form of the International Ballast Water Management Certificate (IBWMC) and regulations B-3.5 and B-3.10 of the BWM Convention, regarding the “date of construction” for a ship which has undergone a major conversion in order to implement the BWM Convention. The unified interpretation will be submitted to MEPC 80 for approval.
