Ballast Water Convention

The ballast water that is loaded by ships to stabilise them often contains organisms, e.g. small fishes, benthic organisms or plankton, or pathogenic bacteria, which are released into the environment when the ballast water is discharged. With continued growth of shipping traffic, the probability increases that such organisms survive the transport in ballast water. In this way, numerous invasive alien species have already established populations, e.g., in the North and Baltic Seas. In the Baltic Sea, the shipworm (teredo navalis) has damaged coastal defence structures, e.g. groynes made of local types of wood, by boring into the wood and destroying it. The damage caused by such invasive alien organisms is rarely expressed in figures, and its origin mostly is not traced back to the discharge of ballast water.

To support the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the BSH carried out a survey in 2004 to determine the economic impact which the introduction of invasive alien species has on fisheries, aquaculture, coastal facilities for shipping and tourism, and on other assets. It was found in the survey that the shipworm, for example, has caused damage estimated at €50 million in the Baltic Sea area since 1993. The Chinese mitten crab has caused damage of an estimated €73.5 - 85 million in German waters.

For quite a long time, this aspect of marine environmental protection lacked adequate international regulations. To address the situation in February 2004, the Ballast Water Convention was adopted during a diplomatic conference at IMO. From 2009, but not later than 2016, the Convention requires the establishment of a ballast water management system on board ships which will replace the uncontrolled ballast water uptake and discharge operations common until then. In future, ballast water has to be treated on board before being discharged into the marine environment, in compliance with the ballast water performance standard in Regulation D-2 of the Ballast Water Convention.

The Ballast Water Convention will enter into force 12 months after the date on which not less than 30 states, the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 35 percent of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant shipping, have deposited their instrument of ratification with IMO as the depositary (Article 18 of the Convention).

At the time the Ballast Water Convention was adopted, suitable technologies allowing this strict standard to be met did not exist. Meanwhile, however, companies all over the world have developed novel systems and technologies which are now undergoing a complex approval procedure at IMO or the national approval authorities.

In Germany, under Arts. 5, para. 1, no. 4c, 1 no. 16, Seeaufgabengesetz (Federal Maritime Responsibilities Act), the BSH is the authority responsible for measures to prevent the introduction of alien species with ships, and thus also for the approval of ballast water management systems.

In June 2008, following an extensive type testing and approval procedure based on  the IMO Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8) ( Resolution MEPC.174(58)) and the Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of active substances (G9) (Resolution MEPC.169(57), the BSH issued the first type approval worldwide for a ballast water management system making use of active substances.

Information about the type approval procedure:

Type approval

Type approval certificates issued