Ballast Water Management Convention

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Ballast Water Management Convention
BWM Convention
International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments
Ballast Water Management Convention map.svg
Signed13 February 2004
Location London, United Kingdom
Effective8 September 2017
ConditionRatifications by at least 30 parties, whose combined merchant fleets' gross tonnage includes at least 35% of the world's
Parties86 (15 July 2021) [1]
Depositary UN Secretary-General
LanguagesArabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (Ballast Water Management Convention or BWM Convention) is a 2004 international maritime treaty which requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with standards and procedures for the management and control of ships' ballast water and sediments. [2] The Convention aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another and halt damage to the marine environment from ballast water discharge, by minimising the uptake and subsequent discharge of sediments and organisms. [2] From 2024, all ships are required to have approved Ballast Water Management Treatment System, according to the D2 standard (see below). Existing ships are required to install an approved system, which may cost up to 5 million USD per ship to install. [3] To assist with implementation, the IMO has released 14 Guidance documents in regards to the Convention including the G2 Guidelines for Ballast Water Sampling, G4 Guidelines for Ballast Water management and G6 Guidelines for Ballast Water Exchange. [4] As of 15 July 2021, 86 countries were contracting States to the BWM Convention (representing 91.12% of the gross tonnage of the global merchant fleet). [1]

Contents

Development and entry into force

The first scientifically recognised occurrence of a non-indigenous marine species being transported in ships water occurred in the North Sea in 1903, with the Asian phytoplankton Odontella appearing. The issue became more prevalent with the increase in shipping in the late 20th century and the issue was raised for the first time at the IMO in 1988. [5] Following several years of development, the Convention was adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2004. [2] To enter into force, the Convention required ratification by a minimum of 30 States, representing 35% of world merchant shipping tonnage, subject to which it would enter into force 12 months later. [6] On 8 September 2016, Finland acceded to the Convention, bringing the contracting states to 52 and the combined tonnage of States to 35.14%. [6] This triggered the applicability of the entry into force date of the Convention, which occurred on 8 September 2017. [6] [7] [8] Since Finland's accession, a number of States have continued to ratify the treaty. By November 2018 there were 78 contracting States, representing 77.19 per cent of world merchant shipping tonnage. [9] By September 2020, 79 countries had joined the Convention. [10]

Requirements of the Convention

All international sea going ships under the Convention must implement a ‘Ballast water management plan’ that enables the ship to manage their ballast water and sediment discharge to a certain standard. [7] The plan is designed to meet the requirements for compliance with the Convention and the G4 Guidelines produced by the IMO. It includes standard operational guidance, planning and management, as well as additional details including sampling points and systems. [11] Additionally all ships over 400GT must also carry a ballast water record book that details such requirements as the filling and discharge of each tank, according to time, date, location and the treatment applied to the water. [12] The record book is used to demonstrate that the Convention requirements have been implemented and the ship is in compliance with the Convention. [13]

Ships that comply with the Convention will receive and are duly required to carry an international ballast water management certificate. [14] To receive a certificate, a ship will have to supply the necessary documentation showing compliance with the Convention and a survey will be carried out on-board. [15] A survey may be carried out by a flag State, or by a Classification Society who have been authorised by a flag State. [16] The convention is monitored by Port State Control, who must assess the ballast water management plan and its operation on the ship. [17]

Standards

Under the Convention, ships are required, according to a timetable of implementation, to comply with the D1 or D2 standards. [14] The D1 standard requires ships to carry out a ballast water exchange, and specifies the volume of water that must be replaced. [18] This standard involves exchanging the uptaken discharge water from the last port, with new sea water; it must occur at a minimum of 200 nautical miles from shore. The D2 standard is more stringent and requires the use of an approved ballast water treatment system. [19] The system must ensure that only small levels of viable organisms remain left in water after treatment so as to minimise the environmental impact of shipping. [18]

New ships will be required to install and comply with the D2 standard from 8 September 2017, once the Convention has entered into force. [20] Existing ships, who are subject to the phased implementation schedule, have potentially (depending on the renewal of their ship certificates) until 8 September 2024, by which time all ships will comply with the D2 standard. [20]

It is also possible for ships to discharge ballast at approved shore reception facilities in ports, as article 5 requires that when cleaning or repair of a ships ballast tanks occurs, ports should have adequate reception facilities for the sediments. [2] Facilities must include safe disposal arrangements, storage and treatment equipment, safe and suitable mooring and emergency arrangements and the necessary reducers for connections to ships. [21]

Some ships may be exempted from complying with the Convention, according to certain conditions and the appropriate permission being given by a flag State. [15] These include ships trading in a limited area, small vessels including sailboats and fishing vessels, vessels only operating on one coast and also FPSOs. [15]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Maritime Organization</span> Specialised agency of the United Nations

The International Maritime Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time on 17 March 1958. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the IMO, in 2024, has 176 Member States and three Associate Members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MARPOL 73/78</span> International marine environmental convention

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978, or "MARPOL 73/78" is one of the most important international marine environmental conventions. It was developed by the International Maritime Organization with an objective to minimize pollution of the oceans and seas, including dumping, oil and air pollution.

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is an international maritime treaty which sets out minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The International Maritime Organization convention requires signatory flag states to ensure that ships flagged by them comply with at least these standards.

International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) sets minimum qualification standards for masters, officers and watch personnel on seagoing merchant ships and large yachts. STCW was adopted in 1978 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) conference in London, and entered into force in 1984. The Convention was significantly amended in 1995 and 2010 entered into force on 1 January 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballast tank</span> Compartment for holding liquid ballast

A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water, which is used as ballast to provide hydrostatic stability for a vessel, to reduce or control buoyancy, as in a submarine, to correct trim or list, to provide a more even load distribution along the hull to reduce structural hogging or sagging stresses, or to increase draft, as in a semi-submersible vessel or platform, or a SWATH, to improve seakeeping. Using water in a tank provides easier weight adjustment than the stone or iron ballast used in older vessels, and makes it easy for the crew to reduce a vessel's draft when it enters shallower water, by temporarily pumping out ballast. Airships use ballast tanks mainly to control buoyancy and correct trim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic navigational chart</span> Digital Map

An electronic navigational chart (ENC) is an official database created by a national hydrographic office for use with an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS). ECDIS and ENCs are the primary means of electronic navigation on cargo ships. Charts can be used in navigation to provide an indication of location once a position is fixed and the charted depths can be used in under keel clearance calculations to ensure the ship is navigating in safe water.

An oily water separator (OWS) (marine) is a piece of equipment specific to the shipping or marine industry. It is used to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. This page refers exclusively to oily water separators aboard marine vessels. They are found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily waste water such as bilge water before the waste water is discharged into the environment. These discharges of waste water must comply with the requirements laid out in Marpol 73/78.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IMO number</span> International ship identification number

The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number is a unique ship identifier; the IMO company and registered owner identification number is used to identify uniquely each company and/or registered owner managing ships of at least 100 gross tons (gt). The schemes are managed in parallel, but IMO company/owner numbers may also be obtained by managers of vessels not having IMO ship numbers. IMO numbers were introduced to improve maritime safety and reduce fraud and pollution, under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water testing</span> Procedures used to analyze water quality

Water testing is a broad description for various procedures used to analyze water quality. Millions of water quality tests are carried out daily to fulfill regulatory requirements and to maintain safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballast water regulation in the United States</span>

Ballast water discharge typically contains a variety of biological materials, including plants, animals, viruses, and bacteria. These materials often include non-native, nuisance, exotic species that can cause extensive ecological and economic damage to aquatic ecosystems. Ballast water discharges are believed to be the leading source of invasive species in U.S. marine waters, thus posing public health and environmental risks, as well as significant economic cost to industries such as water and power utilities, commercial and recreational fisheries, agriculture, and tourism. Studies suggest that the economic cost just from introduction of pest mollusks to U.S. aquatic ecosystems is more than $6 billion per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regulation of ship pollution in the United States</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltic and International Maritime Council</span>

The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) is one of the largest of the international shipping associations representing shipowners. BIMCO states that its membership represents approximately 60 percent of the world's merchant shipping tonnage and that it has members in more than 130 countries, including managers, brokers and agents. BIMCO states that its primary objective is to protect its global membership through the provision of information and advice, while promoting fair business practices and facilitating harmonisation and standardisation of commercial shipping practices and contracts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental effects of shipping</span> Ocean pollution

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballast water discharge and the environment</span> Harmful effects of ballast water discharge

Ballast water discharges by ships can have a negative impact on the marine environment. The discharge of ballast water and sediments by ships is governed globally under the Ballast Water Management Convention, since its entry into force in September 2017. It is also controlled through national regulations, which may be separate from the Convention, such as in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships</span>

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Emission control areas (ECAs), or sulfur emission control areas (SECAs), are sea areas in which stricter controls were established to minimize airborne emissions from ships as defined by Annex VI of the 1997 MARPOL Protocol.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regrowth inside ballast tanks</span>

After delivering their cargo, empty commercial ships need to take up water from the port of arrival in order to maintain stability and ensure safe navigation conditions before heading back to the port of departure. This water, called ballast water, which contains aquatic organisms typical of the port of arrival, is stored in ballast tanks and is ultimately discharged at the port of departure when the ship is ready to be re-loaded. During this process, aquatic organisms capable of surviving in ballast water are released into new environments and can therefore become invasive species, causing serious economic and public health issues.

References

  1. 1 2 "Status of Conventions". IMO. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "BWM Convention". International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "BWM Convention: counting the cost". Ballast Water Treatment Technology. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  4. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.175
  5. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.2
  6. 1 2 3 "BWM Convention to enter into force in 2017". Maritime Executive. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Ballast water management - the control of harmful invasive species". International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "IMO's BWM Convention to Enter Into Force in September 2017". World Maritime News. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Status of Treaties" (PDF). International Maritime Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "Status of ratifications of the Ballast Water Management Convention" (PDF). United Nations Treaty Collection. United Nations. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  11. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.123 - 124
  12. ↑ "Ballast Water Record Book" (3rd ed.). Witherby Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Regulatory Primer for Mates & Masters: Questions and Answers Covering Current and New Regulations. Witherby Publishing Group. 2021. p. 74. ISBN   9781914992193.
  14. 1 2 "Understanding ballast water management" (PDF). Lloyd’s Register. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 "BWM CONVENTION – APPLICATION AND REQUIREMENTS" (PDF). DNV GL . Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.128
  17. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.141
  18. 1 2 "Ballast Water Management". Britannia P&I club. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Gerhard, William; Lundgreen, Kim; Drillet, Guillaume; Baumler, Raphael; Holbech, Henrik; Gunsch, Claudia (2019). "Installation and use of ballast water treatment systems – Implications for compliance and enforcement". Ocean & Coastal Management. 181: 104907. doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.104907 .
  20. 1 2 "MEPC 71 Brief: Ballast Water Management Implementation Scheme Agreed in Principle". Hellenic Shipping News. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  21. ↑ Anwar & Churcher, p.167
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