IMO issues an updated circular on approved ballast water management systems using Active Substances

Eda Zenic -

The International Maritime Organization issued a circular under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention), providing an updated list of ballast water management systems (BWMS) that use Active Substances and have received Basic and Final Approval.

BWMS that use Active Substances must be approved by the IMO to comply with the Convention's regulation D-3.2. An Active Substance is defined as any substance or organism, such as a virus or fungus, that acts against harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens. The approval process, known as Procedure (G9), was first adopted in 2005 and revised in 2008. It includes a two-tier process (Basic and Final Approval) evaluated by the GESAMP-Ballast Water Working Group.

During MEPC 81 and 82 sessions (March and October 2024), one BWMS received Basic Approval, and another received Final Approval. The annexes to this circular provide detailed information on these systems:

  • Annex 1: List of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances which received Basic Approval in accordance with Procedure (G9).
  • Annex 2: List of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances which received Final Approval in accordance with Procedure (G9).

Details of systems with type approval certification are available on the IMO website. Governments are invited to share this information with relevant stakeholders. This circular replaces BWM.2/Circ.34/Rev.12.