Leading classification society ClassNK announced that it has granted AIP (Approval in Principle) to the MIBS (Minimal Ballast Water Ship) VLCC design developed by Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in cooperation with the Shipbuilding Research Centre of Japan. Although the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention has yet to enter into force, installation of ballast water treatment systems are already presenting owners with both financial and technical challenges. Namura’s new MIBS VLCC design…