Ballast water has been an integral component of the ship’s stability. Whether or not the ship is at sea, ballast water is carried on all seagoing vessels big or small to maintain acceptable stability conditions.
But, the invasive aquatic species in ship ballast water is one of the biggest problems facing the shipping industry. These aquatic species pose a major threat to marine ecosystems and have led to an alarming increase in bio-invasion.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted The Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM Convention) which entered into force globally on 8 September 2017.
It applies to ships registered under contracting Parties to the BWM Convention, which take up and use ballast water during international voyages, in order to help prevent the spread of potentially harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in ships’ ballast water.
From the date of entry into force, ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. Ships have to carry:
BWM Convention introduces two standards for the handling of discharged ballast water:
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