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New ballast water compliance requirements enter force this week

From Wednesday of this week, ballast water management systems will have to meet IMO Ballast Water Convention type approval requirements, rather than the existing G8 and revised G8 guidelines, as well as US Coast Guard type approval regulations.

Paul Bartlett, Correspondent

October 26, 2020

1 Min Read
Optimarin BW system (002)
Phtoto: Optimarin

However, there is some uncertainty relating to dates and deadlines, according to Martin Oloffson, a DNV GL principal engineer, who addressed an Immediasea online seminar last week.

The uncertainties highlighted by Oloffson include what happens to systems ordered, and possibly delivered to a repair yard, but not yet installed, perhaps because scheduled dockings have been delayed.

There is also doubt over whether systems approved and installed on some vessels, but not yet on sister ships, will have to comply with the new requirements. A further issue relates to systems already installed on ships, but not yet in operation.

According to DNV GL, there will be a spike in demand for systems between January and September 2022. The classification society estimates that about 2,000 vessels under its own class will require installations over these months, but altogether, as many as 10,000 new systems may be required.

Jurrien Baretta, technical sales manager at Optimarin, a Norwegian ballast water system company, stressed the importance of diligent preparation, particularly in the run-up to this busy installation period. Although there have been concerns in the past about ship repair capacity, most ballast water system installations are undertaken during a routine docking. The preparation, however, is essential, she said, to ensure that system installations can be completed efficiently within the ship’s scheduled docking period.   

Related:Hong Kong accedes to Ballast Water Management Convention

 

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Ballast Water

About the Author

Paul Bartlett

Correspondent

UK-based Paul Bartlett is a maritime journalist and consultant with over four decades of experience in international shipping, including ship leasing, project finance and financial due diligence procedures.

Paul is a former Editor of Seatrade magazine, which later became Seatrade Maritime Review, and has contributed to a range of Seatrade publications over the years including Seatrade’s Green Guide, a publication investigating early developments in maritime sustainability initiatives, and Middle East Workboats and Offshore Marine, focusing on the vibrant market for such vessels across that region.

In 2002, Paul set up PB Marine Consulting Ltd and has worked on a variety of consultancy projects during the last two decades. He has also contributed regular articles on the maritime sector for a range of shipping publications and online services in Europe, Asia, and the US.

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