RINA has revised and updated its guidance on the Ballast Water Convention and the procurement, installation, operation and certification of ballast water treatment systems. The classification society said that the guidance is now available to shipowners, shipyards and equipment manufacturers as a technical bulletin.

Dino Cervetto, director of technical services, RINA Services, sayid: “The IMO Ballast Water Convention is almost certainly going to come into force in 2016. Following the recent ratifications if the IMO confirms that the trigger point has been reached, the BWM Convention will enter into force on Nov. 24, 2016. Owners need to make themselves aware of major impending changes to ballast water regulation and RINA’s guidance will help them with that.”

The BWM Convention imposes a challenging ballast water discharge standard. In response to this, a number of technologies have been developed and commercialized by different manufacturers. These systems have to be tested and approved in accordance with the relevant IMO Guidelines.

In addition to the IMO, other national bodies have introduced regulations in response to national concerns. The most influential of these is the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), which has established both regulations and guidelines to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species into U.S. waters.

The U.S. and IMO BWM Convention requirements impose technical and operational challenges on shipowners, shipyards and equipment manufacturers.

RINA’s technical bulletin gives an overview of the BWM Convention and U.S. requirements and provides detailed information on the implementation dates for both of them, taking into account the USCG official interpretations and clarifications. An extensive part of the bulletin guides owners and operators in preparing for this implementation, including what to consider when selecting, procuring and installing a ballast water treatment system in order to ensure compliance with the applicable rules and interpretations.