Ballast Water Management - International Maritime Organization

The Convention requires all ships to implement a ballast water management plan. All ships have to carry a ballast water record book and are required to ... Sincetheintroductionofsteel-hulledvessels,waterhasbeenusedasballasttostabilizevesselsatsea.Ballastwaterispumpedintomaintainsafeoperatingconditionsthroughoutavoyage. Thispracticereducesstressonthehull,providestransversestability,improvespropulsionandmanoeuvrability,andcompensatesforweightchangesinvariouscargoloadlevelsandduetofuelandwaterconsumption.Whileballastwaterisessentialforsafeandefficientmodernshippingoperations,itmayposeseriousecological,economicandhealthproblemsduetothemultitudeofmarinespeciescarriedinships’ballastwater.Theseincludebacteria,microbes,smallinvertebrates,eggs,cystsandlarvaeofvariousspecies.Thetransferredspeciesmaysurvivetoestablishareproductivepopulationinthehostenvironment,becominginvasive,out-competingnativespeciesandmultiplyingintopestproportions.ScientistsfirstrecognizedthesignsofanalienspeciesintroductionafteramassoccurrenceoftheAsianphytoplanktonalgaeOdontella (Biddulphiasinensis) intheNorthSeain1903.Butitwasnotuntilthe1970sthatthescientificcommunitybeganreviewingtheproblemindetail.Inthelate1980s,CanadaandAustraliawereamongcountriesexperiencingparticularproblemswithinvasivespecies,andtheybroughttheirconcernstotheattentionofIMO'sMarineEnvironmentProtectionCommittee(MEPC).Theproblemofinvasivespeciesinships’ballastwaterislargelyduetotheexpandedtradeandtrafficvolumeoverthelastfewdecadesand,sincethevolumesofseabornetradecontinuetoincrease,theproblemmaynotyethavereacheditspeakyet.Theeffectsinmanyareasoftheworldhavebeendevastating.Quantitativedatashowthattherateofbio-invasionsiscontinuingtoincreaseatanalarmingrateandnewareasarebeinginvadedallthetime. Thespreadofinvasivespeciesisnowrecognizedasoneofthegreatestthreatstotheecologicalandtheeconomicwellbeingoftheplanet.Thesespeciesarecausingenormousdamagetobiodiversityandthevaluablenaturalrichesoftheearthuponwhichwedepend.Directandindirecthealtheffectsarebecomingincreasinglyseriousandthedamagetothe environmentisoftenirreversible. Forsomeexamplesofaquaticbio-invasionscausingmajorimpactplease clickhere.Itshouldbenoted,however,thattherearehundredsofotherseriousinvasionswhichhavebeenorareintheprocessofbeingrecordedaroundtheworld.GlobalresponsePreventingthetransferofinvasivespeciesandcoordinatingatimelyandeffectiveresponsetoinvasionsrequirescooperationandcollaborationamonggovernments,economicsectors,non-governmentalorganizationsandinternationaltreatyorganizations;theUNConventionontheLawoftheSea(Article196)providestheglobalframeworkbyrequiringStatestoworktogethertoprevent,reduceandcontrolpollutionofthemarineenvironmentincludingtheintentionaloraccidentalintroductionofspecies,alienornew,toaparticularpartofthemarineenvironment,whichmaycausesignificantandharmfulchangesthereto.IMOhasbeenatthefrontoftheinternationaleffortbytakingtheleadinaddressingthetransferofinvasiveaquaticspecies(IAS)throughshipping.In1991theMEPCadoptedthe InternationalGuidelinesforpreventingtheintroductionofunwantedaquaticorganismsandpathogensfromships'ballastwaterandsedimentdischarges (resolutionMEPC.50(31));whiletheUnitedNationsConferenceonEnvironmentandDevelopment(UNCED),heldinRiodeJaneiroin1992,recognizedtheissueasamajorinternationalconcern.InNovember1993,theIMOAssemblyadoptedresolutionA.774(18)basedonthe 1991Guidelines,requestingtheMEPCandtheMSCtokeeptheGuidelinesunderreviewwithaviewtodevelopinginternationallyapplicable,legally-bindingprovisions.Whilecontinuingitsworktowardsthedevelopmentofaninternationaltreaty,theOrganizationadopted,inNovember1997,resolutionA.868(20)- Guidelinesforthecontrolandmanagementofships'ballastwatertominimizethetransferofharmfulaquaticorganismsandpathogens,invitingitsMemberStatestousethesenewguidelineswhenaddressingtheissueofIAS. Aftermorethan14yearsofcomplexnegotiationsbetweenIMOMemberStates,the  InternationalConventionfortheControlandManagementofShips'BallastWaterandSediments (BWMConvention)wasadoptedbyconsensusataDiplomaticConferenceheldatIMOHeadquartersinLondonon13February2004.Inhis openingaddress totheConferencetheSecretary-GeneralofIMOstatedthatthenewConventionwouldrepresentasignificantsteptowardsprotectingthemarineenvironmentforthisandfuturegenerations. “Ourdutytoourchildrenandtheirchildrencannotbeover-stated. Iamsurewewouldallwishthemtoinheritaworldwithclean,productive,safeandsecureseas–andtheoutcomeofthisConference,bystavingoffanincreasinglyseriousthreat,willbeessentialtoensuringthisisso”. TheConventionrequiresallshipstoimplementaballastwatermanagementplan.Allshipshavetocarryaballastwaterrecordbookand arerequiredtocarryoutballastwatermanagementprocedurestoagivenstandard.PartiestotheConventionaregiventheoptiontotakeadditionalmeasureswhicharesubjecttocriteriasetoutintheConventionandtoIMOguidelines.SeveralarticlesandregulationsoftheBWMConventionrefertoguidelinestobedevelopedbytheOrganizationandConferenceresolution1invited IMOtodeveloptheseguidelinesasamatterofurgencyandadoptthemassoonaspracticableand,inanycase,beforetheentryintoforceoftheConvention,withaviewtofacilitateglobalanduniformimplementationoftheinstrument.TheMEPC,atitsfifty-firstsessioninApril2004,approvedaprogrammeforthedevelopmentofguidelinesandproceduresforuniformimplementationoftheBWMConvention,listedinConferenceresolution1,includingadditionalguidancerequiredbutnotlistedintheresolution.Theprogrammewasfurtherexpandedatthefifty-thirdsessionoftheMEPCinJuly2005todevelopandadopt14setsofGuidelines,thelastonebeingadoptedbyresolutionMEPC.173(58)inOctober2008. TheGuidelines,someofwhichhavebeenrevisedsincetheirinitialadoption,andanumberofotherrelevantguidancedocumentscanbeaccessed here.ApprovalofballastwatermanagementsystemsDuringtheConventiondevelopmentprocess,considerableeffortsweremadetoformulateappropriatestandardsforballastwatermanagement.Theyaretheballastwaterexchangestandardandtheballastwaterperformancestandard.Shipsperformingballastwaterexchangeshalldosowithanefficiencyof95percentvolumetricexchangeofballastwaterandshipsusingaballastwatermanagementsystem(BWMS)shallmeetaperformancestandardbasedonagreednumbersoforganismsperunitofvolume.RegulationD-3oftheBWMConventionrequiresthatballastwatermanagementsystemsusedtocomplywiththeConventionmustbeapprovedbytheAdministrationtakingintoaccountthe Guidelinesforapprovalofballastwatermanagementsystems (G8).TheGuidelines(G8)havebeenrevisedin2016andconvertedintoamandatory Codeforapprovalofballastwatermanagementsystems (BWMSCode),whichwasadoptedbyMEPC72(April2018)andentersintoforceinOctober2019. RegulationD-3alsorequiresthatballastwatermanagementsystemswhichmakeuseofActiveSubstancestocomplywiththeConventionshallbeapprovedbyIMOinaccordancewiththe ProcedureforapprovalofballastwatermanagementsystemsthatmakeuseofActiveSubstances(G9).Procedure(G9)consistsofatwo-tierprocess–BasicandFinalApproval–toensurethattheballastwatermanagementsystemdoesnotposeunreasonablerisktotheenvironment,humanhealth,propertyorresources. AtechnicalgroupofexpertshasbeenestablishedundertheauspicesofGESAMPtoreviewtheproposalssubmittedforapprovalofballastwatermanagementsystemsthatmakeuseofActiveSubstances.TheGESAMPBallastWaterWorkingGroup(GESAMP-BWWG)reportstotheOrganizationonwhethersuchaproposalpresentsunreasonablerisksinaccordancewiththecriteriaspecifiedintheProcedure(G9).Formoredetailedinformationregardingtheballastwatertreatmenttechnologiespleaseclick here.TheConventionrequiresareviewtobeundertakeninordertodeterminewhetherappropriatetechnologiesareavailabletoachievethestandard.MEPChasconductedanumberofsuchreviewsandagreedthatappropriatetechnologiesareavailabletoachievethestandardcontainedinregulationD-2oftheBWMConvention.BWMConventionstatusTheBWMConvention enteredintoforce on8September2017.  TheadoptionofalltherequiredGuidelinesfortheuniformimplementationoftheBWMConventionandtheapprovalandcertificationofmodernballastwatertreatmenttechnologieshaveremovedthemajorbarrierstotheratificationoftheinstrumentandanumberofadditionalcountrieshaveindicatedtheirintentiontoaccedetothisConventioninthenearfuture. MarineEnvironment PollutionPrevention OilPollution ChemicalPollution Sewage Garbage AirPollutionandGHGEmissions PollutionPreparednessandResponse PreparingforMarinePollutionIncidents RespondingtoMarinePollutionIncidents Informationresources BallastWaterManagement BWMConventionandGuidelines BWMTechnologies BWMFAQ BWMCapacityBuilding InvasiveAquaticSpecies(IAS) Biofouling CommonHullFoulingInvasiveSpecies Anti-foulingsystems ShipRecycling JointILO/IMO/BCWorkingGrouponShipScrapping PortReceptionfacilities SpecialAreasunderMARPOL ParticularlySensitiveSeaAreas LondonConventionandProtocol CompliancewiththeLondonConventionandProtocol ReportingofDumping TheLC/LPandClimateChange Newandemergingissues ScienceDay TechnicalCo-operationandAssistance PublicationsandResources Linksandreferences GESAMP TechnicalAssistance TheGlobalInitiativeProjects RegionalPartners RelatedLinks RelevantGuidelinesandguidancedocuments GloBallastPartnershipsProgramme Clip"InvadersfromtheSea"video