Tag: BWM Convention

IMO announces issues on the MEPC 67 agenda

Last Update on 3 September 2014 The U.S. Coast Guard has updated the list of the Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) accepted for use in US water as Alternate Management Systems (AMS) The ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) in the list below have been accepted for use in U.S. waters as Alternate Management Systems (AMS). Use of a BWTS as an AMS is subject to the general and specific conditions and requirements listed in the AMS acceptance letter issued to the system's manufacturer. An AMS may be used to meet the Coast Guard ballast water treatment requirements for up to five years after the ship's ballast water discharge standard compliance date specified in the final rule.  This five-year timeframe allows for the completion of required land-based and shipboard testing.   (Click image below to enlarge) In the beginning, I was outspoken with you propecia before and after has changed my being. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

There are many critical elements in relation to the design, selection and installation of BWTS. The process is a quadric-modal one which starts with the selection and the design study, followed by detailed study and installation. However, we will confront a lot of challenges in the process. What is critical is what lies below the iceberg. Had the Convention been validated tomorrow, we would need to do 40-50 retrofits every day until the end of 2017. Having that number in mind, it seems that we should not over emphasize the selection process. Unfortunately, we don't have feedback from BWTS already installed. We are dealing with a case of public pressure putting the regulations ahead of technology. We can apply advanced selection techniques like fuzzy- logic or multi-criteria decision analysis, or simpler statistical grading of  questions which can be grouped  related to technical, health and safety , financial, operation, installation and maintenance considerations. The one million question is '' are we going to have the time to go through this grading and selection process?'' The installation questions we have is where to place the system, how to integrate it with  the remaining machinery and what to do. We have to forget ...

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) reiterated its call for governments to address the serious implementation issues concerning the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention before it is too late. Speaking at a Ballast Water Management Summit in Singapore, ICS Vice Chairman, Esben Poulsson, encouraged IMO Member States to make use of the solutions proposed in an industry submission to the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), which next meets from 13-17 October. Mr Poulsson explained that the issues governments need to address include the lack of robustness of the current IMO type-approval process for the expensive new treatment equipment, the criteria to be used for sampling ballast water during Port State Control inspections and the need for 'grandfathering' of already fitted type-approved equipment. Thus far, however, governments have appeared reluctant to act collectively in a decisive manner. During his keynote speech, Mr Poulsson explained that this reluctance to resolve outstanding problems is causing a great deal of uncertainty: "When the BWM Convention eventually enters into force, the shipping industry will be required to invest billions of dollars to ensure compliance. However, because of the unanswered questions about the Convention's detailed implementation, much of the industry - and society at large - continues to lack ...

A total of 22 bulk carriers, being built by Yangzhou Guoyu Shipbuilding in China for Singapore based Pioneer Marine, will feature Wärtsilä BWMS

In advance of a critical intergovernmental meeting next month at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has called on IMO Member States to give careful consideration to shipowners' concerns about the implementation of an avalanche of new environmental regulations, which are about to impact on ship operations at more or less the same time. ICS Chairman, Masamichi Morooka, explained: "The shipping industry is not in any way questioning the need for these important new IMO rules and is fully committed to implementation.  But governments need to address some very important issues if they wish to avoid confusion and market distortion." In advance of next month's IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), the ICS Board of Directors, which met in London this week, reviewed the solutions that ICS is proposing to governments with respect to the serious implementation concerns associated with entry into force of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, and new MARPOL regulations to reduce sulphur emissions.  The ICS Board also reviewed the continuing debate at IMO about additional measures to reduce ships' CO2 emissions. Making the Ballast Convention Work "ICS fully supports the objectives of the Ballast Convention and recognises that its ...

The map  delineates the extent of the Pacific Coast Region and the 50 NM and 200 NM exchange zones. Vessel compliance with the MISA and associated regulations is essential to prevent the introduction of nonindigenous species into California waters.   The California State Lands Commission (CSL) has issued a letter to ship owners and agents clarifying California ballast water management requirements in the Pacific Coast Region in which a map of Pacific Coast Region is included. Staff of the California State Lands Commission Marine Invasive Species Program (MISP) have noticed a recent increase in ballast water management violations of the Marine Invasive Species Act (MISA) (California Public Resources Code (PRC) § 71200 et seq.). In many of these cases, vessel operators have expressed confusion between United States Coast Guard (USCG) and California requirements for ballast water exchange. The California MISA does not provide for an exemption for vessel deviation. Vessels arriving at California ports must conduct ballast water management in accordance with PRC section 71204.3 or title 2 California Code of Regulations (CCR)section 2280 et seq. regardless of whether such management would result in deviation or delay of the voyage. Per Title 33 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 151.2055, the USCG does not require a vessel to deviate ...

OceanSaver has consolidated its leading position in the ballast water treatment (BWT) market with a rush of new system orders for large vessels. The Norwegian firm, a BWT specialist developing reliable, advanced and flexible solutions since 2003, has won orders for over 40 systems in the space of the last six months, with some 21 units delivered so far this year. The latest contracts, worth approximately USD 30 million, cover a diverse range of large tonnage, from a number of key international markets, with VLCCs, Aframax tankers, product tankers, and Cape Size bulk carriers featuring strongly. A pair of Taiwanese-controlled VLCC's, currently under construction in Japan, are the latest assets in the orderbook. "The market is picking up, and our operational track record and proven BWT expertise is helping us take advantage of that positive sentiment," comments OceanSaver CCO Tor Atle Eiken. "Ratification of the IMO's Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention is now closer than ever and astute shipowners are choosing to place orders in advance to avoid potential supply and installation bottlenecks. There's a clear demand for tried and tested solutions and OceanSaver, with 140 units now sold, has the technology and experience to ensure that shipowners get exactly ...

When the IMO's environment committee, the MEPC, next meets in October, exemptions from the forthcoming ballast-water convention for ferries and others will be discussed at Denmark's behest. Danish shipping companies have invested billions of kroner in green technology in recent years and are prepared to make even greater investments as a result of forthcoming environmental regulation measures. But regulation must benefit the environment or else the investment becomes meaningless. This applies to ballast water, an area in which the international IMO convention is expected to receive the required support this year, enabling it to enter into force 12 months later. As the land lies currently, the convention will cover all international shipping, including, therefore, for example, the 4 km-long ferry route between Helsingør in Denmark and Helsingborg in Sweden. The legislation makes good sense for long international routes, but not for ferry traffic and other small-scale local shipping, according to Peter Olsen, who is Head of Secretariat for the Danish Car Ferry Association, and responsible for ballast water at the Shipowners' Associations. "There is a risk of imposing a financial burden of several million kroner per ship without there being any demonstrated risk presented by spreading seawater from one port ...