Page 19 - INTERCARGO - Annual Report Report 2021 - 2022

Ballast Water Management

The International Convention for the
Control and Management of Ships’
Ballast Water and Sediments (Ballast
Water Convention) entered into force
on the 8th September 2017.

The relatively recent entry into force of the Convention, in-
volving new regulations and the fitting and operation of
equipment that had previously not been used on ships has
led, unsurprisingly, to a number of challenges.
The implementation challenges of the Convention especial-
ly relate to the performance of ballast water treatment sys-
tems, the operating conditions and locations of vessels, and
the global coverage of technical support for the systems in-
volved. It is important to note that while ships are certified
for global trade, many of the available systems are not cer-
tified or able to perform in all locations and conditions that
vessels may trade in, and this is particularly true for the bulk
carrier fleet.

INTERCARGO is currently working with various stakeholders,
including the treatment system manufacturers, with the aim
of providing solutions to some of the issues that are affecting
the bulk carrier fleet. As part of this work, INTERCARGO has
co-sponsored several papers to IMO on topics such as ex-
tending the experience building phase and operating in chal-
lenging water quality. It is also hoped that these ongoing dis-
cussions at the IMO will also contribute to solving some of
the other ballast water management issues faced by ship op-
erators.
A holistic approach to regulations is also important. Ship-
ping is trying to decarbonise which in the short term to mid-
term will mean finding efficiencies and ultimately using less
power. However, regulations such as the Ballast Water Man-
agement Convention effectively require vessels to use more
power and thus produce more emissions, leading to a sit-
uation where one environmental regulation potentially has
a negative effect on another environmental regulation. The
regulators should recognise the consequences of all regu-
lations and how they may impact each other.

For more information on this topic please visit:
intercargo.org/topics/ballast

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