Ballast Water Convention conundrum continues

Speaking before a conference on the ballast water treatment regulation, World Shipping Council president Chris Koch highlighted the lack of type approved technology, meaning vessel operators could face a huge investment bill for treatment technology that may not even meet regulatory obligations.

“If the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention enters into force before US type approved technology is commercially available and before the IMO’s equipment type approval guidelines are amended to address their recognised problems, vessel owners would face a legal obligation under the Convention to install IMO type approved technology that may not reliable meet the Convention’s discharge standard and that may not be acceptable in the US trades,” said Chris Koch, president, World Shipping Council.

While there is general, global acceptance of the IMO’s ballast water treatment discharge standard, there is still no globally accepted ballast water treatment technology, which Mr Koch says should cause governments that have not yet ratified the Convention to think twice because “what nation wants to be the one that causes the Convention to come into force before these fundamental issues have been resolved?”

Mr Koch also questioned if and when the US Coast Guard will type approve ballast water treatment technology, saying it’s not only relevant to vessel operators that are calling at US ports now, or who may in the future wish to deploy their ships in US commerce, but also to those who lack confidence in the IMO regulation.

“What the regulations that require this multi-billion investment should provide is certainty that the technology installed, if properly operated, will meet the vessel’s regulatory ballast water treatment obligation for the life of the vessel in any port that it calls. We are not there yet,” Mr Koch added.

Meanwhile, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is also concerned about the lack of robustness of the current IMO type-approval process for the expensive new treatment equipment. But, it has agreed to stop discouraging governments that have not already ratified the Convention.

The treaty will enter into force 12 months after ratification by 30 States, collectively representing 35% of world merchant shipping tonnage. The number of ratifying states (43) is already sufficient but, at 32.54%, their collective share of world merchant shipping tonnage is not enough to trigger entry into force.