Worry of the shipowners for the practical implications of the effectiveness of the Ballast Convention Toilets Management



Next the 8 september will take effect the international Convention Ballast Toilets Management (BWM) that it has the scope to prevent the potentially injurious effects deriving from the spread of transported aquatic organisms in ballast waters of the ships. The main world-wide shipowning organizations have received with favor the introduction of the normative new, but meanwhile they are worried for the practical problems that the performance of the convention involves.

Confirming own support to the initiatives and the application of international norms in matter of management of ballast waters, the International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (Intercargo) has evidenced the necessity that "their performance must be carried out in possible the more effective and practical way". Relatively to convention BWM, association, that it represents the shipowners that operate in the field of the marine bulk transport sand banks, considers "that the norm would have to hold account of the challenges that must face the currently operating ships portarinfuse, that they constitute the greatest segment of world-wide the marine transport in terms of tonnage of gross capacity. The case of a ship of new construction - Intercargo has explained - is absolutely different from that consists in the adaptation of a already operating ship; moreover a rinfusiera ship anticipates characteristic different details regarding the other types of ships".

Intercargo has announced to have introduced two documents centralized on the practical problems that own associates have faced in order to ulteriorly adapt their already operating ships portarinfuse with the systems of treatment of ballast waters (BWTS), documents that will be taken in consideration in the next reunion that will hold to July of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 71) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Also the Italian Confederation Shipping (Confitarma) has evidenced as, relatively to the next effectiveness of Convention BWM the shipping world-wide is found in serious difficulties: "not there is still - it has found Confitarma - the certainty with regard to the reliability and to the availability of systems approved of from the IMO (than in fact it has recently supplied see again the lines guides - called G8 - which they must technically answer the foretold systems), let alone of ship yards in a position to carrying out the installation and, above all, with regard to non-alignment with the norms of the United States that do not coincide with those adopted by the IMO. This naturally - it has observed the Confederation - creates and will create a kind of "congestion" for the tempistiche of finding or and installation of the systems of treatment of ballast waters effectively answering to the demanded standards".

Confitarma has remembered that "Italy has not still ratified Convention BWM, but own for the exposed reasons over, Confitarma has asked the competent administration in matter for being able "to disarmonizzare" that is to postpone the installation of the systems previewed from the Convention regarding the fixed expiration for renews of certificates IOPP (International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate - Certifyd international for the prevention of the pollution from oil) to the aim of having the certainty to have of the time necessary in order to comply in the best one of the ways with the norm. This because - it has specified the Confederation - the Convention previews that a treatment system must be installed on the ships in concomitanza of the first visits of renews of certificate IOPP after the date of effectiveness of the same one".

Confitarma has remembered moreover that "thanks to the fort engagement of Giuseppe Mauro Rizzo, president of the Commission Technical Gestione Ships of Confitarma, of vice-president and members of the Commission and of Lorenzo Matacena, president of the Ambient Commission, let alone to the constructive dialogue established with the ministries of the Atmosphere and Infrastructures and Transports, on 15 May is diffused a communication to signature of the two ministries with which the recognized organisms authorize themselves (naval registries RINA, BV and DNV GL) to release certificate IOPP, in case are demanded, before the 8 september 2017, limiting but its validity to a not next date toon September 28, 2020, date that coincides with it obligation to install consistent systems of treatment to the new lines guides emanated from the IMO".

The president of Confitarma, Emanuele Grimaldi, has turned a thanks to the Italian administration "that - he has emphasized - taking into consideration the arguments in existence in international within, he has very comprised the requirements of the Italian shipowners and with the "disarmonizzazione" they allow the necessary time for being able to answer adequately to the new norms of the BWM".