Ship&Offshore | Issue 04/2010
The scope of ballast water management systems
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS Developed by the International Maritime Orgazination (IMO), the aim of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments is to regulate discharges of ballast water and to reduce the risk of introducing non-native species that could harm sensitive ecosystems. Following IMO’s adoption of these regulations in 2004, various systems have been developed and are currently undergoing approval stages as Ballast Water Management (BMW) systems.