General
1.1 The Code for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS Code) is aimed
primarily at Administrations, or their designated bodies, in order to assess whether
ballast water management systems (BWMS) meet the standard set out in regulation
D-2 of the International Convention for the Control and Management of
Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the
Convention). In addition, the Code is intended for manufacturers and
shipowners as a reference on the evaluation procedure that equipment will undergo
and the requirements placed on BWMS. The Code should be applied in an objective,
consistent and transparent way and its application should be evaluated periodically
by the Organization.
1.2 Articles and regulations referred to in this Code are those contained in the
Convention.
1.3 The Code includes general requirements concerning the design, installation,
performance, testing, environmental acceptability, technical procedures for
evaluation and procedures for issuance of Type Approval Certificates of BWMS and
reporting to the Organization.
1.4 The Code is intended to fit within an overall framework for evaluating the
performance of systems that includes the experimental shipboard evaluation of
prototype systems under the provisions of regulation D-4, approval of BWMS and
associated systems that comply fully with the requirements of the
Convention, and port State control sampling for compliance under the
provisions of article 9 of the Convention.
1.5 The approval requirements of regulation D-3 stipulate that BWMS used
to comply with the Convention must be approved by the Administration, in
accordance with this Code. In addition to such BWMS approval, as set forth in
regulation A-2 and regulation B-3, the Convention requires that discharges of
ballast water from ships must meet the regulation D-2 performance standard on an
on-going basis. Approval of a system is intended to screen out BWMS that would fail
to meet the standards prescribed in regulation
D-2 of the Convention. Approval of a system, however, does not ensure
that a given system will work on all ships or in all situations. To satisfy the
Convention, a discharge must comply with the D-2 standard
throughout the life of the ship.
1.6 BWMS shall be designed to not impair the health and safety of the ship or
personnel, nor to present any unacceptable harm to the environment or to public
health.
1.7 BWMS shall meet the standards of regulation
D-2 and the conditions established in regulation
D-3 of the Convention. The Code serves to evaluate the safety,
environmental acceptability, practicability and biological effectiveness of the
systems designed to meet these standards and conditions. The cost effectiveness of
type-approved equipment will be used in determining the need for revisions of the
Code.
1.8 To achieve consistency in its application, the approval procedure requires that a
uniform manner of testing, analysis of samples, and evaluation of results is
developed and applied. Amendments to this Code shall be duly circulated by the
Secretary-General. Due consideration shall be given to the practicability of the
BWMS.
Goal and purpose
1.9 The goal of the Code is to ensure uniform and proper application of the standards
contained in the Convention. As such the Code should be updated as the state of
knowledge and technology may require.
1.10 The purpose of the Code is to provide a uniform interpretation and application
of the requirements of regulation D-3 and to:
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.1 define test and performance requirements for the approval of
BWMS;
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.2 set out appropriate design, construction and operational
parameters necessary for the approval of BWMS;
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.3 provide direction to Administrations, equipment manufacturers
and shipowners in determining the suitability of equipment to meet the
requirements of the Convention and of the environmental acceptability of
treated water; and
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.4 ensure that BWMS approved by Administrations are capable of
achieving the standard of regulation
D-2 in land-based and shipboard evaluations and do not cause
unacceptable harm to the ship, the crew, the environment or public health.
Applicability
1.11 This Code applies to the approval of BWMS in accordance with the
Convention.
1.12 This Code applies to BWMS intended for installation on board all ships required
to comply with regulation D-2.
1.13 BWMS approved taking into account the 2016 Guidelines (G8) adopted by resolution
MEPC.279(70) shall be deemed to be in accordance with the
BWMS Code.