Republic of the Marshall Islands Establishes a Dedicated Ballast Water Management Team
International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) provide administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries. The RMI Registry, as a flag State, is responsible for ensuring vessels registered under its flag comply with all national and international regulations, including those that address safety and security of personnel and vessels, and the marine environment. As an active and involved member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the RMI Registry works closely with its owners and operators to identify issues and present these concerns to the international community as new regulations are developed.
The RMI and others have cosponsored a paper detailing how the Convention experience-building phase should be used to identify problems with the Convention and to allow rapid amendments to the Convention to be made to address any difficulties. A three (3) year trial period is also expected to follow the entry into force of the Convention, allowing for sampling and analysis. During this time, port States will refrain from criminal sanctions or detaining ships. The MEPC could extend this trial period and the RMI will support an extension if needed.
The United States (US) is not a Party to the Convention and has its own BWMS requirements under both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Coast Guard (USCG). For existing ships, the USCG requirements specify that a USCG type approved BWMS must be installed by the next full drydocking. While there are some differences between the EPA and USCG requirements, the EPA requires existing ships to meet the same BWMS standard as the USCG, under the same schedule, and comply with the USCG requirements.  As there are no USCG type approved BWMSs, an extension may be requested to prolong the timeframe until the next drydocking. This process is outlined on the USCG website. Together, the IOPP early renewal offered by the RMI Registry and the extension offered by the USCG should provide owners the time needed to select and install a BWMS that meets both requirements.
technical@register-iri.com.