News
The Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) has unveiled the results of a survey that it conducted in 2025 on the operational realities of implementing the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention).
The survey results confirm that significant operational challenges persist across ship types, trades and ballast water management system (BWMS) technologies. These challenges are not isolated or exceptional, but systemic and recurrent, particularly during time-critical port operations, cargo handling and ballast uptake or discharge under challenging water quality (CWQ) conditions.
Respondents described the regular use of contingency pathways in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidance, triggered by CWQ, system malfunctions, time constraints and extended repair periods due to limited access to authorized service engineers or spare parts. In several cases, defects required more than two months to resolve, during which contingency measures were unavoidable.
Inspection challenges were most commonly linked to system malfunctions, alarms, documentation issues and difficulties demonstrating compliance in situations involving contingency measures. Respondents reported inconsistent interpretation of alarms, system behaviors, and contingency actions by inspectors, contributing to compliance uncertainty even where crews were operating in line with manufacturer instructions and IMO guidance.
