Ballast Water Management System (BWMS)

Ballast Water is typically carried by ships to ensure her stability, trim and structural integrity.

Water is much easier to load on and off a ship, therefore more efficient and economical than solid Ballast.

Ballast tanks are filled with sea water, fresh water in the river and a mixture of the two. pumped in from the 

world's oceans and discharged elsewhere as required. For that reason, many undesired organisms such as

planktonic larves, invertebrates and other species float in the ballast water tanks. 

The system for this treatment process is called Ballast Water Management System.

IMO BWM Convention 2004

The International Convention for the control and Management of Ship's Ballast

Water and Sediments was adopted by consensus at the diplomatic conference at IMO in London 2004.

Therefore all new builds constructed in 2011 or later will need to have an approved treatment system installed by 2012.

Running vessels, constructed before 2011, will need to treat their ballast water from 2014 or 2016, depending on vessel's

size. However, the states of CA and NY (USA) have announced to adopt this rule earlier and stricter.