Shipping is still a long way from comfortable with impending ballast water management legislation, according to minutes just released from the annual tripartite meeting between shipowners, shipbuilders and classification societies.
This year’s industry roundtable was held in Seoul 10 days ago. According to a release sent out today participants at the event expressed concern with the likelihood that the Ballast Water Management Convention could enter into force very shortly.
“Today, more than 11 years after the adoption of the treaty text, there is still little confidence in the capability of type approved equipment to perform satisfactorily under operational conditions. Concerns are significantly heightened by the lack of type approved equipment in the US to meet the national regulation already in force. This leaves owners and shipyards unable to make long-term investment and planning decisions,” the release from the tripartite discussions stated.
“Complex regulatory regimes and timelines in combination with untested and developing technologies had the potential to introduce new technical risks which needed to be addressed,” it added.
