Ballast Water Management Plan (BWMP)

The Ballast Water Management Convention came into force, the 8th of September 2017, from that dates it is required for each applicable ship to have a BWMP that specifies requirements for this purpose.

The following are normally included in the BWMP:

  • Acceptable methods for ballast exchange and relevant procedures.
  • Details of the procedures for the disposal of sediments at sea and to shore. Method of the use of port reception facilities for sediments.
  • Designation of the on-board officer-in-charge of the implementation of BWMP. The identification of a responsible person should enhance the planning of BWM operations. In this respect, adequate training of such crew members should encompass awareness on the energy efficient operation of the BWM equipment and optimization for deadweight management and trim optimization.
  • Method of the sediment removal or reduction at sea, and when cleaning of the ballast tanks takes place (MariEMS 2017).