The US Coast Guard Marine Safety Centre announced that it issued the 17th Coast Guard Ballast Water Management System type approval certificate to DESMI Ocean Guard A/S for its CompactClean BWMS. USCG granted the Certificate after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type approval application determined the system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has developed standard operating procedures for the sample collection of treated ballast water sampling for use by scientific researchers. A link to sampling SOPs will be inserted in the data gathering and analysis plan for the experience-building phase associated with the Convention.
ABS hosted its 2nd Ballast Water Management Workshop in Houston, where over 20 representatives from 13 shipping companies participated, sharing their experiences of the BWMS newbuilding and retrofit process, after completing a comprehensive questionnaire. The report aims to capture key discussion topics, lessons learned, and insight shared by the workshop attendees on the installation and operation of BWM systems.
While speaking at the last SAFETY4SEA Conference in Cyprus, Mr. Ioannis Efstratiou, Senior Marine Surveyor, Cyprus Shipping Deputy Ministry, shared his predictions on the maritime landscape in the near future, focusing on the environmental challenges relating to 2020 sulphur cap, GHG emissions, ship dismantling and BWM regulations.
During the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Conference, Mr. Dimitrios Ioannis Kalfas, Engineering Team Leader, Argo Navis, insisted on proper and timely planning for a BWTS or a scrubber retrofit as the best way to deal with the developing industry bottleneck. He also outlined a series of retrofit Pain Points which can set calendars back during planning, such as class approval, owner supplied items, yards and transportation of equipment.
During the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Cyprus Conference, Mr. Konstantinos Dimopoulos, International Sales Manager, ERMA FIRST, shared his experience on BWTS selection procedure, advising how a vessel operator will select the most favorable system according to the vessel type. Mr. Dimopoulos noted that operations with problems in 2017 were up to approximately 30% while it almost doubled last year.
USCG is aware of the challenges owners and operators face in opting and installing a BWMS in order to keep up with the USCG regulations. Therefore, after considering the interpretation of the ‘next scheduled drydocking’ with regard to 33 CFR 151 Subparts C and D, the Coast Guard provides extra guidance on what constitutes entry into drydock and the end of an extension period.
California’s ballast water management regulations are included in the Marine Invasive Species Act, which can be found within the California Public Resources Code and title 2 California Code of Regulations. These regulations are implemented by the California State Lands Commission, the West P&I Club says. Fines for breaching these regulations are based on a ‘per tank’ basis and can be significant.
One week left for the largest green shipping conference globally to take place in Athens, Greece. The 2019 GREEN4SEA Conference is scheduled as a full day event on Wednesday, 13th of March 2019 at the Lighthouse of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. After thought provoking discussions on industry’s sustainable future, this event comes to address the burning issue of decarbonisation.
EMSA published a document focusing on Ballast Water Management and Guidance for best practices on sampling. The paper aims to provide guidance for a harmonised approach to ballast water sampling procedures, looking for the ideal practise based on the different types, D-1, D-2 for ascertaining the compliance with the Ballast Water Convention.
