Testing of Ballast water systems on the agenda as IMO meets
Overview
As the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meets for its 75th session on 16 to 20 November, regulations on ballast water testing is expected to be adopted.
Starting on 16 November, delegates from all over the globe, participating from the safety of their homes, will attend the MEPC 75 meeting virtually, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way IMO conducts its meetings. Although the agenda is highly truncated to accommodate the new meeting style, adoption of new regulation on Ballast Water Management (BWM) commissioning testing is one the important items on the agenda.
Commissioning testing
Commissioning testing is needed to validate the installation of a ballast water management system. The purpose is to demonstrate its mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological processes are working properly.
This test will be conducted by a testing organisation and flag states, and recognized organisations (RO) will use the results as part of their initial survey prior issuing an International ballast water management certificate (IBWMC).
The inclusion of commissioning testing is proposed as an amendment of the BWM Convention and it is up for adoption at this session. The requirement will included in regulation E-1, Surveys, of the BWM Convention and is planned to enter into force on 3 October 2021.However, since MEPC 75 was initially planned for May 2020 and postponed to November 2020, and this may change the original in-force date.
BIMCO finds that this will be a welcome change for shipowners because a commissioning test during the installation is expected to find errors and effectively rectify before the system is put into operation.
New ballast water management systems
Member states have submitted information on several BWMS that have already been type-approved. Furthermore, the committee is also expected to give final approval to two more BWMS:
- CleanBallast - Ocean Barrier System
- SeaCURE BWMS
An extend is expected to be given for the approval of five BWMS to operate in fresh water.
This development is positive giving shipowners more choices between compliant BWMS in the market.
Feedback or a question about this information?
Posted:
16 November 2020
VPS Bunker Alerts
Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) publish regular Bunker Alerts based entirely on fuel samples and have kindly permitted BIMCO’s Members to access this information.
The Bunker Alerts are not intended to be an evaluation of overall bunker quality in the port or area concerned, but usually highlight a specific parameter within the fuel which has raised a quality issue.
Latest ice reports for members
Latest piracy reports
Latest industry releasable threats
Related publication
Shipmaster's Ballast Water Manual 2.0
The background for this publication is the new regulations relating to ballast water that have changed dramatically in recent years and the operational aspec...
ELSEWHERE ON BIMCO
Contracts & Clauses
All of BIMCO's most widely used contracts and clauses as well as advice on managing charters and business partners.
Learn about your cargo
For general guidance and information on cargo-related queries.
BIMCO Publications
Want to buy or download a BIMCO publication? Use the link to get access to the ballast water management guide, the ship master’s security manual and many other publications.
About a new business partner
We can help members check new business partners. We also help to recover millions of USD (undisputed) funds every year.
