Shipping & Transport, Cyprus
The Department of Merchant Shipping recently issued a circular to owners, bareboat charterers, managers and representatives of ships flying the Cyprus flag informing them of proposed implementation arrangements for ballast water management systems under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments 2004 (the BWM Convention), particularly regarding compliance with the D-2 standard, which covers approved ballast water treatment systems and specifies levels of viable organisms left in the water after treatment. The arrangements are expected to be formally approved by the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organisation in April 2018.
For existing ships constructed before the BWM Convention enters into force, the compliance date with the D-2 standard will be based on the first or second renewal survey of the ship associated with the International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate (IOPP) under Annex I of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, depending on when the survey takes place. If the first renewal survey after the BWM Convention's entry into force takes place after September 8 2019, or if the previous renewal survey was completed between September 8 2014 and September 8 2017, the compliance date is that of the first renewal survey. In all other cases, the compliance date is that of the following (ie, the second) renewal survey. For ships that do not require an IOPP renewal survey, the Department of Merchant Shipping will set a date for compliance with the D-2 standard, which will be no later than September 8 2024.
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