IMO Concerned with Stalled BWMC Ratifications, EU’s CO2 Monitoring System

The ”disappointingly” slow pace of ratifications of the Ballast Water Management Convention and a recent approval of a European CO2 Monitoring Reporting and Verification system are causes for concern, the International Maritime Organisation’s Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu said in his opening address at the 68th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) on May 11.

Only two IMO Member States ratified the Ballast Water Management Convention since MEPC 67, said Secretary-General Sekimizu, bringing the total number of ratifications to 44, constituting 32.86% of the world’s merchant fleet tonnage. 35% of the world’s tonnage is needed for the Convention to meet the entry into force criteria.

Secretary-General Sekimizu said that the latest measures to facilitate entry into force of the BWM Convention and more specifically, the ‘non-penalization’ provisions, together with the adoption of the port State control guidelines and the approval of 57 ballast water management systems, should prove enough to encourage ratification and global implementation of the Convention.

Speaking of the recent agreement to introduce a CO2 monitoring system for international ships that use EU ports, Sekimizu expressed concern that if such regional regulations would go beyond what IMO will adopt, and if implemented on foreign ships, they would undermine IMO’s role as the global standard setter.

MEPC 68 will run until May 15, and is expected to adopt the environmental provisions of the Polar Code. Other agenda items include: implementation of the ballast water management convention and energy-efficiency requirements and revisions to air pollution guidance and requirements.