The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, is a treaty implemented by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in order to aid in the prevention of the spread of potentially harmful marine organisms, pathogens, and species in ships’ ballast water.
Ballast water plays a key role in vessel stability and safe ship operations. As the water which is taken onboard a ship to maintain stability by safeguarding a low center of gravity, ballast has other purposes. Reasons for ballast water are, but not limited to, assisting with maneuverability, decreasing stress on the hull, offsetting weight changes in various cargo load levels and fluctuations in the onboard fuel reading.
To respond to the increasing concerns regarding the affect that ballast water discharge has in global waters and maritime environments when released by a vessels, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) implemented The rules of this Convention entered into power globally in September 2017,
Given the need for checks and balances when dealing with vessels, the oceans, and the water environments specifically, a Ballast Water Management System has become a priority topic. A system which requires mariners to be the trained to man.
Ballast Water Management – BWM regulations require foreign and domestic flag vessels to abide by the Ballast Water discharge standards in the US waters. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) will check BWM activities and procedures onboard for reporting and recordkeeping as well as check for reporting timeliness, accuracy, and completeness.
The ship’s BWM plan includes crew training to be validated during vessel and port state inspections.
To help Shipping and Ship Management companies, Mariner Skills offers completely online training for MRNSKL–949 Ballast Water Management. Completely online modules are available to your crew members Anytime, Anywhere, 24/7, and allow your mariners to fulfill the Final Assessment requirement remotely. This accessibility eases the burden of training while working to assist your organization in the area of compliance.
If this BLOG resonates with your organization, contact us today to discuss at +1.203.939.1514 or by emailing to info@marinerskills.com. We look forward to serving you!