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The Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) was ratified on 8 September this year, meaning that the rules will come into force twelve months after that date. But, issues around the BWMC are a tricky area that the industry still needs to work through, writes Samantha Fisk
Finland was the last country to sign up to the convention, tipping the scale and therefore allowing the convention to[ds_preview] be ratified, with 53 countries signing reaching the goal of 35% of the world tonnage. The next phase of how the convention will be implemented next year still leaves the question of what now for many.

At the Marshall Islands ballast water seminar in November, many on-going issues were raised about the convention and the amendments that are currently being looked in to by the parties involved. The recent Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 70, were amendments were put forward for changes in the installations dates was also a bone of contention, with decision being pushed forward to MEPC 71.

The main concern being over the current implementation dates set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which links ships with their International Oil Certificate (IOPP), that gets renewed every five years and would effect a large portion of the world fleet come the conventions entry in to force in 2017. Certain flag state and parties raised this at the MEPC 70 with two further proposals for amending the deadlines that are currently set out.

The proposals laid out at MEPC 70 were that compliance with D-2 at the first IOPP renewal survey after 8 September 2017, or the second proposal, if the survey is completed before 8 September 2019, the compliance date would be at first IOPP renewal survey completed after 8 September 2019.

Sahan Abeysekara, senior specialist, Lloyd’s Register Marine Technology and Engineering Services, also raises an interesting point about the installation systems onboard in that the installed date refers to the contractual delivery date of the system, yet the installed system does not mean that it is commissioned.

Theofanis Karayannis, senior deputy director, marine environment division, IMO, highlights that it could be a potential two years on from when the convention comes in to force that we will see any changes to the ballast water management convention.

»Amendments can only be done by the parties and they can only make amendments after the convention goes in to force. The process is that they [resolutions] are circulated by the Secretary General with a minimum of six months between the circulation and the next MEPC. So then we are looking at MEPC 72 for the adoption of new amendments«, says Karayannis.

As he explains that the process can take up from anything rom 18 months to two years, he urges that member states take action earlier on to allow this process to speed up.

The practical implication of equipping 60,000 vessels with ballast water treatment systems is high on the list of concerns for both ballast water treatment manufacturers and also shipowners, alike.

Captain David Taylor, general manager ship management, Shell Trading and Shipping Company explains that for owners with larger fleets: »There has been a lot of uncertainty around type approval of systems and installation dates. For larger fleets the challenge is working with different flag states across the fleet.«

Taylor also commented that there are still issues around the larger ballast water treatment systems and their operation, which also need to be looked into.

Abeysekara explained that Lloyd’s Register (LR) are looking to do testing of scale models as the current land based and onboard testing is restrictive, especially when working with larger capacity systems. »The case has been to scale up the model from the original, but you need to make sure that the upper range can work. So this is where model testing can benefit this«, he says.

So while there still seems to be many challenges out there for the industry about the ballast water management convention, there still looks to be a delay before we see any changes happening to the convention.

Samantha Fisk