This year, a Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) focusing on Ballast Water Management (BWM) systems will be conducted by Port State Control (PSC) authorities from September 1 to November 30, 2025. Led by the Paris and Tokyo MOUs, this initiative aims to protect marine ecosystems and enforce compliance with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention). Numerous other PSC regimes are also joining the campaign, indicating a global effort to improve ballast water management practices.
The Importance of Ballast Water Management
Ballast water, while critical for ship stability, can carry invasive species to new environments, causing significant ecological damage. The BWM Convention, which came into force in 2017, established international standards to address this issue. A key development is the mandatory implementation of the D-2 standard, which requires onboard ballast water treatment for all vessels as of September 8, 2024. This recent change means many ship operators and crews are still gaining experience with these systems, making this targeted inspection campaign particularly relevant.
Key Inspection Areas and Lessons from Past Deficiencies
Each vessel will undergo a single CIC inspection guided by a specific questionnaire. The primary areas of focus will include verifying proper BWM Convention certification, approving and maintaining the Ballast Water Management Plan (BWMP), ensuring crew familiarity with the plan, assessing the operational status of the BWM system, and verifying the accuracy of the Ballast Water Record Book (BWRB).
Previous inspections, such as those by Australia, a Tokyo MOU member, have highlighted common areas of non-compliance. These include crew unfamiliarity with the BWMP and inadequate equipment maintenance, which accounted for 70% of all non-compliance reports in a recent Australian study. Specific issues identified were deliberate changes to system alarms, ignoring alarms, sensor failures, and software deficiencies. Such deficiencies have led to significant delays in cargo operations.
The US Coast Guard’s Independent Focus on BWM
The United States Coast Guard (USCG), while not officially participating in the Paris and Tokyo MOU campaign, is also intensifying its ballast water compliance efforts. The USCG reported a 6% increase in BWM-related deficiencies in 2024, with untreated ballast water discharge rising by 200%. The USCG’s inspections will now also verify that the chemicals used in a ship’s treatment system match those specified in the system’s manual. The use of non-approved chemicals could lead to safety risks, invalidate system type approval, and result in fines.
Recommendations for Smooth Inspections
To ensure safe operations and a successful inspection, vessel operators and crews should proactively prepare. It is recommended to use the official CIC questionnaire as a checklist to verify compliance with the BWM Convention.
This includes ensuring all BWM certificates, plans, and records are current. Crews must be thoroughly trained on and familiar with their ship-specific BWMPs, and all BWM systems should be operated and maintained properly at all times. Finally, operators should review and update their Safety Management System (SMS) to reflect any necessary BWM-related procedures.
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Source: GARD
