Global shipping’s fight against invasive species transported in ballast water took another step forward recently. The International Maritime Organization approved 2024 guidance on ballast water record-keeping and reporting (BWM.2/Circ.80/Rev.1) at Marine Environment Protection Committee No. 82.
The purpose of Guidance is to help ship crews, and in some cases officials from port states, to understand how ballast water operations should be completed, how to fill in entries in the ballast water record book, how to fill in forms, and how to main voluntary tank-by-tank records of ballast water operations.
“Maintaining these voluntary records may also assist the ship in documenting and demonstrating that the requirements of the Convention have been met,” the guidance says.
According to international marine class society, Lloyd’s Register, not all ballast water management systems can operate in all environments. Circular BWM.2/Circ.80/Rev.1 includes an update on how to record operational scenarios related to ports with challenging water quality in the ballast water record book, “specifically ballast water exchange plus ballast water treatment operations under reactive bypass… and pre-emptive bypass”.
Lloyd’s Register then adds: “Any shipowners operating vessels over 400GT and designated to carry ballast water on international voyages, should refer to this guidance when compiling the BWRB, particularly if operating in ports with challenging water quality.”
Also approved at MEPC 82 was Guidance for Administrations on the type approval process for ballast water management systems (see: BWM.2/Circ.43/Rev.1) . The purpose of the document is to provide guidance to marine administrations on the procedure for evaluating an application for type approval of a ballast water management system. The guidance is at pains to explain that it is an “aide-memoir” for administrations and is not intended to interfere with the authority of an administration. The ultimate idea is that the guidance will support harmonized evaluation by administrations of modifications to a ballast water management system with existing type approval.
