ABS Supports Ballast Water Compliance

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), a global provider of classification and technical advisory services to the marine and offshore industries, published its 2019 Ballast Water Management Advisory providing critical advice to owners in advance of the five-year window beginning September 2019, requiring retrofits of BWM systems on existing ships.

“We anticipate roughly 6,000 vessels per year over the next five years will need to be retrofitted with ballast water management systems to meet the revised IMO compliance dates,” said William Burroughs, ABS Ballast Water Management Lead.

“We recognize this is a large portion of the fleet and will only be achievable through proper planning and effective project management and execution. This Advisory provides in-depth guidance to help owners understand the complexity of retrofitting ballast water management systems, supporting successful and on-time retrofits,” William added.

Through a recent comprehensive global questionnaire of owners and operators, ABS found that 65% of BWM systems were reported as inoperable or problematic.

The Advisory provides a practical and phased approach to guide owners and operators with retrofitting and operating BWM systems, helping avoid costly mistakes and operational disruptions.

To be compliant with the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention for existing vessels, shipowners need to install a BWMS at the vessel’s next renewal survey associated with the IOPP certificate (MARPOL Annex I) after 8 September 2019, essentially creating a five year window for retrofits between September 2019 and September 2024, depending on when the renewal survey is due.