21 April 2014
GESMAP Updates Ballast Water Methodology
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The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESMAP) Ballast Water Working Group has updated its Methodology for conducting its work and gathering information.

The 66th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) endorsed the revised Methodology (BWM.2/Circ.13.Rev.1) and agreed it should be applied to all submissions for Basic Approval of Ballast Water Management (BWM) systems.

15 April 2014: The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESMAP) Ballast Water Working Group has updated its Methodology for conducting its work and gathering information. The 66th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) endorsed the revised Methodology (BWM.2/Circ.13.Rev.1) and agreed it should be applied to all submissions for Basic Approval of Ballast Water Management (BWM) systems.

Ballast water is pumped into vessels to stabilize them at sea. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), this practice can pose ecological, economic and health problems as a result of marine species that may be carried in ships’ ballast water. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the BWM Convention) requires all ships to implement a Ballast Water and Sediments Management Plan to, inter alia, prevent the transfer of invasive alien species. BWM systems are tested on ships and at land-based facilities to ensure that they meet performance standards and do not pose unreasonable risks to the environment, human health, other resources or property, according to IMO.

GESAMP is an advisory body that advises the UN system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. It is jointly sponsored by UN organizations with responsibilities relating to the marine environment, including the: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); IMO; UN Development Programme (UNDP); UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC); UN Environment Programme (UNEP); UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO). [IMO Website on BWM Technologies] [GESMAP Website] [Publication: BWM.2/Circ.13.Rev.1]