Methodology for information gathering and conduct of work of the
GESAMPfootnote-BWWG
1 Regulation D-3 of the Ballast Water Management Convention provides that
ballast water management systems which make use of Active Substances shall be approved
by the Organization. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at its
fifty-third session (July 2005), adopted the Procedure for approval of ballast water
management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9) by resolution MEPC.126(53), and agreed with the establishment of a Technical
Group under the auspices of GESAMP to evaluate such systems and advise the Committee
accordingly. At the same session the GESAMP-Ballast Water Working Group was also
requested to develop a Methodology for information gathering and conduct of its work
(the Methodology).
2 The MEPC, at its fifty-sixth session (July 2007), having recognized that
the Methodology was a living document, which may be further refined taking into account
the best practices and lessons learned during the evaluation process, agreed that the
Methodology, as drafted at that time, should be suitable for use as technical guidance
by applicants submitting applications for approval of ballast water management systems.
3 Having adopted resolution MEPC.169(57), which revokes resolution MEPC.126(53) and contains the revised Procedure for approval of
ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9), MEPC 57
requested the GESAMP-BWWG to update its Methodology in accordance with the revised
Procedure (G9). The updated Methodology was subsequently circulated by means of
BWM.2/Circ.13.
4 Taking into account the lessons learned and the experience gained, the
GESAMP-BWWG has carried out thorough reviews of the Methodology and prepared revised
versions which were approved by the MEPC and circulated as revisions to BWM.2/Circ.13.
5 The GESAMP-BWWG further revised the Methodology at its Eighth Stocktaking
Workshop in February 2017, taking into account lessons learned and experience gained and
the 2016 Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8) (MEPC.279(70)). The MEPC, at its seventy-first session (July 2017), approved
the revised Methodology for information gathering and conduct of work of the
GESAMP-BWWG, as set out in the annex, for dissemination as
BWM.2/Circ.13/Rev.4.
6 MEPC 71 further agreed that the revised Methodology should be applied to
all submissions for Basic Approval of ballast water management systems to MEPC 74 and
subsequent sessions and to the submissions for Final Approval of those systems, and
encouraged proponents to always make use of the most recent version of the Methodology,
at their earliest opportunity.
7 Member Governments are invited to bring the revised Methodology to the
attention of all parties concerned and, in particular, manufacturers of ballast water
management systems that make use of Active Substances.
8 This circular supersedes circular BWM.2/Circ.13/Rev.3.