Ports with Challenging Water Quality

The Interim guidance on the application of the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention to ships operating in challenging water quality conditions (Resolution MEPC.387(81)) was adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) from March 2024. 

This follows the experiences faced by Members who have been encountering issues with their Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) at ports with challenging water quality (PCWQ).

The guidance provides procedures for ships to follow when operating in PCWQ and provides Administrations, port States and BWMS manufacturers guidance in how to support and oversee ships in these situations. Both decontamination and restoration procedures are outlined for the ballast tank to ensure effective and compliant operation and the guidance is built on the principle that a bypass is the last resort in all cases. Additionally, it can serve as a practical operational manual for ships and voyage planners.

The guidance officially cites the INTERTANKO PCWQ database as a reference tool which allows the previous experience of ships to be seen shore side when PCWQs are encountered. The database will be invaluable when communications between port States and ships are required.

INTERTANKO lobbied and participated in the discussions on the development of guidance for ships operating in PCWQ under the Ballast Water Management Convention. The need to have clear expectations in terms of ballast water management at PCWQ was highlighted. A uniform approach to ballast water management at PCWQ would help ships to better manage their ballast water related operations and enable compliance with the Convention.

Members are encouraged to continue submitting a report to the Secretariat should their ships experience any problems with BWMS due to port water conditions. The information will be useful as a due diligence tool for Members trading in certain ports, while a global perspective and estimated extent of the problem will also be useful for INTERTANKO and its Members when liaising with national and international authorities. It could also gather information on the type of BWMS associated with the failures.

The data could assist in a global approach and can act as a historical record of the experience of vessels and their interactions with the respective port States. This factual log could also be used when Members need further justifications for a bypass when encountering issues faced in PCWQ.

Please click here to access the INTERTANKO Ports with Challenging Water Quality (PCWQ) Database.