IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention was the topic of a panel discussion during the Marshall Islands Quality Council meeting in London, United Kingdom (15 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 Theofanis Karayannis gave an update on the Convention’s latest developments, outlining the decisions taken during the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee’s 70th session in October, which include adoption of revised guidelines to update the approval procedures for ballast water management systems (BWMS).