The ratification of IMO ballast water convention is not yet completed, but the US Coast Guard has launched new standards.
Against the market’s expectation of one year ago, the ratification process for IMO’s ballast water management convention is still not[ds_preview] finished. At the end of July 2012, according to IMO 35 countries have filed the respective documents – five more than needed. But these 35 states represent only 27,95 % of the world tonnage, instead of the required 35 %. The progress since July 2011 was seven states with only 2,52 % of tonnage and thus the quorum has not been reached until today, with the consequence that the official entering into force of the convention, which is scheduled twelve months after the completion of the ratification procedure, is still not known.
While many new built ships are already fitted with a ballast water treatment system (BWT), this limbo is mainly affecting three interest groups: the maker of treatment systems, the owners of existing ships, which will have to be retrofitted with a ballast water treatment system at the next regular docking after the ratification date, and the repair shipyards still waiting standby to do the retrofit installations.
Lloyd’s Register estimates the demand for retrofitting BWT systems with more than 2,000 ships per annum in the following two to five years after the ratification, more than equalling the new building numbers. Although one major shipping register could kick off the convention with its ratification, a prognosis of the starting date would have a certain crystal ball touch, as last years’ experience shows.
The discussions in the IMO working group dealing with methods and standards for future flag state supervision of the BWT systems’ function has also not yet been finalized. The next opportunity, where it could be finally settled, would be the IMO-BLG 17 meeting in February 2013.
IMO is pressing for rather detailed standards for measuring methods, in order to make sure that the same yardstick would be used worldwide, while shipowners are concerned that insufficiently validated methods could lead to arbitrary decisions.
USCG regulations
However, another uncertainty seems to vanish: It appears that the effluent standards in the USA would be set on the same level as the IMO-D2 requirements and not according the substantially stricter ideas of the Californian administration. The US Coast Guard (USCG) has amended its ballast water management regulations in spring 2012 by establishing a ballast treatment effluent standard for the allowable concentration of living organisms in ships’ ballast water discharged in US waters, which is on equal level as the D2 standard. With this development the IMO-D2 standard would ensure compliant world wide operation and would be the development target for all BWT systems.
The USCG has also amended its engineering equipment regulations by establishing an own approval process for ballast water management systems. The new USCG Regulations 33 CFR Part 151 and 46 CFR Part 162 have already entered into force on 21 June 2012 and apply to all new ships constructed on or after December 2013 as well as to existing ships from 2014 onwards at certain time intervals.
Increasing number of IMO approvals
Driven by the new building demand, several dozens of BWT plants have been sold during the past months. Many makers of BWT systems have used their first operation experiences during the last year to update their designs with the goals of lower energy consumption, better daily handling and flexibility. There are also still new entrants to be expected. While one year ago only 14 makers had already passed the full IMO approval process, 25 more new systems have been approved during the last year, of them 17 systems using active substances.
Michael vom Baur
