Class notation for ballast water management based on ballast water exchange system.

Purpose

To ensure compliance with the International Convention for the Control of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, which has not yet entered into force. When it enters into force, the convention will require all ships to implement safe onboard ballast water exchange or ballast water treatment. A number of coastal states have made documented ballast water exchange mandatory prior to ships entering their ports, and more and more coastal states are expected to require this.

Benefits

This notation shows compliance with the Ballast Water Convention as regards ballast water exchange, and ensures that the vessel can trade unrestrictedly by properly handling its ballast water until the ballast water exchange standard is replaced by ballast water treatment systems.

Features

The BWM-E (d,s,f ) rule standard ensures that the arrangement used for ballast water exchange is designed for its intended use. The applied method is indicated by one or more letters in the bracket, either d for dilution, s for sequential method, or f for flowthrough system.