Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) and Ballast Water Management Plan (BWMP)

In essence, the schedule for implementation which has been agreed by the MEPC means that compliance with the D-2 standard will be phased in over time for individual ships, up to 8 September 2024. Over time, more and more ships will be compliant with the D-2 standard. (See the infographic)
From 8 September 2017:
• New ships must meet the D-2 standard.
• All ships must have: a ballast water management plan, a ballast water record book and an International Ballast Water Management Certificate.
• Existing ships must meet at least the D-1 (ballast water exchange) standard; they may also choose to install a ballast water management system or otherwise meet the D-2 (discharge) standard but this is not mandatory until the corresponding compliance date.
• IOPPC Renewal survey after 8 September 2019 - A ship undergoing a renewal survey linked to the ship's International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate after 8 September 2019 will need to meet the D-2 standard by the date of this renewal survey.
• IOPPC Renewal survey between 8 September 2017 and 8 September 2019 - If the previous IOPPC renewal survey was between 8 September 2014 and 8 September 2017, then the ship must comply with D-2 standard by this renewal survey. If the previous IOPPC renewal survey was before 8 September 2014, then the ship can wait until the next renewal survey (which will be after 8 September 2019).
The difference is that D-1 relates to ballast water exchange, while D-2 specifies the maximum amount of viable organisms allowed to be discharged, including specified indicator microbes harmful to human health.
D-1 standard - The D-1 standard requires ships to conduct an exchange of ballast water such that at least 95% of water by volume is exchanged far away from the coast.
D-2 standard - The D-2 standard specifies that ships can only discharge ballast water that meets the following criteria:
• less than 10 viable organisms per cubic metre which are greater than or equal to 50 micrometres in minimum dimension;
• less than 10 viable organisms per millilitre which are between 10 micrometres and 50 micrometres in minimum dimension;
• less than 1 colony-forming unit (cfu) per 100 mililitres of Toxicogenic Vibrio cholerae;
• less than 250 cfu per 100 millilitres of Escherichia coli; and
• less than 100 cfu per 100 milliliters of Intestinal Enterococci.
Ships may be subject to port State control in any port or offshore terminal of a Party to the BWM Convention. This inspection may include verifying that there is onboard a valid Certificate and an approved ballast water management plan; inspection of the ballast water record book; and/or sampling of the ship’s ballast water, carried out in accordance with the Guidelines for ballast water sampling (G2).
However, the time required to analyse the samples shall not be used as a basis for unduly delaying the operation, movement or departure of the ship.
Regulation D-3 of the Convention covers approval requirements for ballast water management systems.
Ballast water management systems must be approved by the Administration taking into account IMO Guidelines. Revised Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8) were adopted in 2016 and have now been reworked as a draft mandatory Code for approval of ballast water management systems (BWMS Code), expected to be adopted by MEPC 72 in April 2018. The BWMS Code includes robust test and performance specifications as well as detailed requirements for type approval reporting and control and monitoring equipment.
Ballast water management systems which make use of Active Substances or preparations containing one or more Active Substances must in addition be approved by IMO, in accordance with the Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9).