Ballast Water Management

Members of the World Shipping Council support an effective solution for managing ballast water discharges from vessels so as to minimize the environmental risk they present as a pathway for invasive marine species.

To accomplish this, the Council supports the ratification and implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments as adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This program addresses the issue of transfer of non-indigenous aquatic invasive species in ballast water through the development of a performance standard for ballast water treatment technology.

• The IMO Ballast Water Convention goes into effect beginning in 2009. It has not yet been ratified in the U.S. and the Council is working with the U.S. Congress and a Shipping Industry Coalition to ratify the IMO Convention and develop a realistic and comprehensive national ballast water management program for the U.S. In December 2007, the Council and others in the maritime industry called on the US Congress to pass the Ballast Water Management Act of 2007Read more   >>
  
  To learn more, visit www.imo.org and select Conventions/Ballast Water Management.
• Until such new international standards are developed, the industry continues to comply with all existing national regulations. In the U.S., the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 1996 gave the U.S. Coast Guard primary responsibility for establishing a ballast water management program. Learn more about the U.S. Coast Guard regulations  >>

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