Ballast Water Management – Beyond Type Approval
Since September of last year, when the implementation date of the International Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention became clear, all eyes have been focused on the U.S. Type Approval Process. Ship owners and operators have been concerned, in particular, with the differences between the between the U.S. and International Type approval processes and the potential that BWMS meeting the more stringent U.S. requirements may not be available prior to the entry into force of the International BWM Convention in 2017.
In December 2016, the Coast Guard type approved three BWMSs, and we expect to see more systems submitted for type approval early this year.