Ballast Water Management

Since September 2024, all ships in international trade must use type-approved Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) to treat ballast water and meet the D-2 discharge standard under the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC), preventing the spread of invasive aquatic species.

A key problematic issue is Challenging Water Quality (CWQ), which can adversely affect the performance of BWMS. Ships operating in such conditions may be forced to consider operational workarounds, such as system bypasses, ballast water exchange, or other contingency measures, even when systems are functioning as intended. The absence of designated ballast water exchange areas further limits viable alternatives, especially in enclosed or coastal waters.

In many cases, operational measures taken to navigate BWMS limitations, such as prolonged ballast operations or route deviations to perform ballast water exchange or find suitable water conditions, have direct implications not only for compliance with the D-2 standard but also for ships’ Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) ratings.

BIMCO recommends to proactively consider BWM during voyage planning, especially for ships calling at ports with known or suspected CWQ owing to the possibility of non-compliance even when BWMS is properly installed and operated. The fragmented enforcement landscape creates legal uncertainty, exposes operators to penalties, and adds commercial risk.

BIMCO is engaged with the IMO member states to ensure that the industry’s practical experiences and perspectives are fully considered in the ongoing review of the BWMC and Code under the Experience-Building Phase (EBP). BIMCO furthermore follows the discussions at Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection’s (GESAMP) biosecurity working group.