IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention was the topic of detailed discussion at the “Planning for Enforcement” forum in London, United Kingdom (23 November). With the Convention set to enter into force in September 2017, requiring ships to manage their ballast water to help prevent the spread of potentially harmful invasive aquatic species, IMO’s Markus Helavuori gave an update on the Convention’s latest developments.
Specifically, he outlined decisions taken during the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee’s 70th session in October, which included adoption of revised guidelines to update the approval procedures for ballast water management systems (BWMS).
The forum was organized by the UK Chamber of Shipping and Fathom.