Once the convention officially takes effect, possibly in late 2015, it will mean the roughly 65,000-75,000 ships in operation globally, including some 5,000 container ships, will, upon dry-docking, be required to install expensive systems to treat ballast water and thus prevent the introduction of nonindigenous species into marine ecosystems, reports the JOC.
Excerpts from the Journal of Commerce:
With the odds growing that a global ballast water treaty will come into force next year, concern is building among shipowners, including container carriers, that its implementation will be chaotic, expensive and ineffective.
The ballast water convention was approved by the International Maritime Organization and sent out for national ratification in 2004, and is now on the verge of taking effect if Japan and Singapore ratify the pact this year — and some believe that’s likely.
The problem is that shipowners believe the procedures in place for determining what technology is deemed acceptable for complying with the treaty are faulty. They fear the roughly $1-$1.5 million per ship cost to install ballast water treatment technology will be spent on systems that don’t work.