Barbados issues a bulletin on Ballast Water Management

The Barbados Maritime Ship Registry has issued bulletin No. 032 concerning Ballast Water Management.

This bulletin was published on 30 April 2024.

Purpose

This Bulletin provides the requirements for implementing the BWM Convention, which entered into force globally on 8 September 2017.

Application

This Bulletin applies to all Barbadian vessels in accordance with Article 3 of the BWM Convention.

The BWM Convention does not apply to those vessels that:

Are not designed or constructed to carry ballast water (Article 3.2(a));
Operate only in waters under the jurisdiction of their Flag State, unless discharge of ballast water is considered to be a threat to the environment, human health, property, or resources, or those of adjacent or other States (Article 3.2(b));
Operate only in waters under the jurisdiction of another State which is a Party to the Convention, subject to authorization of the Coastal State (Article 3.2(c));
Operate only in waters under the jurisdiction of another State which is a Party to the Convention and on the high seas, subject to authorization of the Coastal State (Article 3.2(d));
Are warships, naval auxiliaries, or other vessels owned or operated by a State and on governmental non-commercial service (Article 3.2(e));
Use permanent ballast in sealed tanks, not subject to discharge (Article 3.2(f)).

Background

Ballast water may be taken onboard by vessels for stability and can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes, plants, and animals, which are then carried across the globe. Untreated ballast water released at the vessel’s destination could potentially introduce a new invasive marine species. Hundreds of such invasions have already taken place, sometimes with devastating consequences for the local ecosystem.

The BWM Convention, entered into force on 08 September 2017, aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another, by establishing standards and procedures for the management and control of vessels’ ballast water and sediments.

The BWM Convention regulations are divided into five sections, where section D sets the Standards for Ballast Water Management, specifically:

Regulation D-1 (Standard D1) Ballast Water Exchange Standard – Vessels performing Ballast Water exchange shall do so with an efficiency of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of Ballast Water. For vessels exchanging ballast water by the pumping-through method, pumping through three times the volume of each ballast water tank shall be considered to meet the standard described. Pumping through less than three times the volume may be accepted provided the vessel can demonstrate that at least 95 percent volumetric exchange is met.
Regulation D-2 (Standard D2) Ballast Water Performance Standard - Vessels conducting ballast water management shall discharge less than 10 viable organisms per cubic meter greater than or equal to 50 micrometers in minimum dimension and less than 10 viable organisms per milliliter less than 50 micrometers in minimum dimension and greater than or equal to 10 micrometers in minimum dimension; and discharge of the indicator microbes shall not exceed the specified concentrations.

Standard D2 - IMO and BMSR deadlines

Standard D1 is being phased out and by 08 September 2024, all vessels must meet Standard D2.

The BMSR is now taking a drastic approach for the implementation of Standard D2 and will issue any permit for an extension of compliance with Standard D2 maximum until the 8th of August 2024.

Vessels which have an IBWMC renewal after the 08 August but before the 08 September are not subject to Sec. 5.2 above.

Exceptions and Exemptions

While the general scope of application covers virtually any vessel provided with ballast tanks, the BWM Convention also provides for possible exceptions, exemptions, or equivalent compliance methods, each with specific criteria and conditions to be met.

Regulation A-3 of the BWM Convention allows exceptions to the requirements of Regulation B-3 for:

Ensuring the safety of the vessel in emergency situations;
Accidental damage to the vessel;
The purpose of avoiding or minimizing pollution;
Uptake and discharge on the high seas of the same ballast water and sediments; or
Discharge of ballast water and sediments from a vessel at the same location where the ballast water originated, and provided that no mixing with unmanaged ballast water and sediments from other areas has occurred.

Regulation A-4 of the BWM Convention allows permanent exemptions to any requirements to apply regulations B-3 or C-1, in addition to those exemptions contained elsewhere in this Convention, but only when they are:

Granted to a vessel or vessels on a voyage or voyages between specified ports or locations; or to a vessel which operates exclusively between specified ports or locations;
Effective for a period of no more than five years subject to intermediate review;
Granted to vessels that do not mix ballast water or sediments other than between the ports or locations specified in Sec. 6.2.1 above; and
Granted based on the Guidelines on risk assessment developed by the IMO.

BWMS initial commissioning and testing

For BWMS installed on board Barbadian vessels:

A test confirming that the installed BWMS meets the required performance standard shall be conducted to the satisfaction of the attending RO surveyor, as per BWM.2/Circ.70/Rev.1.

An effluent test confirming the BWMS discharge meets Regulation D-2 standards shall be completed in accordance with the maker’s recommendations or where appropriate laboratory facilities are available locally. Methodologies and approaches to sampling and analysis testing are to be done as per BWM.2/Circ.42/Rev.2.

Ballast Water Management System Failures

Any BWMS failure must be reported to the BMSR or vessel’s RO without delay. A brief description of the failure along with a proposed BWMS repair plan must also be communicated in a timely manner. The malfunctioning BWMS must be recorded in the Ballast Water Record Book (BWRB). When the repairs are concluded.

Where the vessels have to manage non-compliant ballast water discharges, the port State control authorities must be contacted by the vessel or company to discuss contingency measures in line with BWM.2/Circ.62.

The BMSR will issue a permit for Ballast Water Exchange (BWE) Standard D1, in lieu of using the BWMS (Standard D2) when this method is included as a contingency measure in the vessel’s approved BWMP. Concurrence from the coastal State must be obtained before this option is used.

Ballast Water Record Books

Ballast Water Record Books (BWRB) are available for purchase from the BMSR Ship Document Online Form.

The BMSR BWRB first revision was issued in compliance with Appendix II “Form of ballast water record book” of the BWM Convention, which will be valid until the 01/Feb/2025.

The new revision of the BMSR BWRB is instead based on the new revision of the Appendix II, applicable from 02/Feb/2025, which totally replace the previous form, and which implements the new amendments as per BWM.2-Circ.80, which gives examples of Ballast Water Record Book entries, ballast water reporting form and tank-by-tank log form.

The new revision of the BMSR BWRB also include BWM.2-Circ.80 examples of Ballast Water Record Book entries to help officers to correctly populate the entries.

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):