Effective January 22, 2019 the China Maritime Safety Administration (China MSA) will enforce it’s ballast water regulations for all foreign-Flagged vessels that come into Chinese waters. China MSA ratified the BWM Convention in 2018 so requirements for compliance are, for the most part, those of the IMO BWM Convention. One of the differences in the […]

Ship owners must take care if they are to avoid buying and installing ballast water management systems with high flaw rates. Stevie Knight of Motorship magazine explores recently exposed reliability challenges [with shipyards choosing & installing ballast water management systems (BWMS)]. DiCianna notes that when Choice Ballast has carried out inspections on failures, one of […]

An update regarding a notification from October 10, 2018 indicating that EPA would be late in reissuing the 2013 VGP guidelines and issued new deadlines for Notices of Intent (NOI) for coverage under that permit (as reported by the Choice blog, click here). The update states that as a result of VIDA, NOIs can be […]

The list of Ballast Water Management Systems approved by the USCG now offers has a complete range of treatment technologies and ballast water flow rates options. The Marine Safety Center issued the 14th U.S. Coast Guard Ballast Water Management System Type Approval Certificate to Panasia Co., Ltd. The treatment technology of the GloEn-Patrol BWMS consists of filtration […]

The 2013 Vessel General Permit will not be reissued prior to its December 18, 2018 expiration date but will be administratively continued and remain in effect until a new permit is issued (tentatively scheduled for Spring 2019). For vessels currently without permit coverage the EPA strongly encourages owners/operators of eligible vessels to seek permit coverage […]

The GloFouling Partnerships project – a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – is a new international program set in place to review and recommend regulations to lessen the transfer of invasive organisms that contaminate pipes and other underwater surfaces. According to […]

The United States (U.S.) will be changing regulation of discharges from vessels, including ballast water. The law will reauthorize U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) programs including major changes to US ballast water management (BWM) regulations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Vessel General Permit – through the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA).  The bill was signed […]

The United States Coast Guard has type approved the Hyundai Heavy Industries’ HiBallast ballast water management system. HiBallast is a side stream system combined with filter and electrolysis unit. The new HiBallast system is the second ballast water treatment system that Hyundai Heavy has developed. In addition, DESMI Ocean Guard and Wartsila Water Systems have submitted applications […]

The International Maritime Organization 73rd Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC 73) meeting was a busy session with most of the focus on the 2020 Sulfur Cap date and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions. Significant actions were taken for ballast water management as well as some new discussions for the marine industry.  A summary of the resulting […]

The Department of State (DOS) issued a notice stating that an open meeting will be held on 18 October in Washington, DC to prepare for the upcoming session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73). Topics on the agenda include harmful aquatic organisms in ballast water; air pollution and energy efficiency; and reduction of […]