Speakers
Ballast Water: The future & opportunities
On Sep 8, 2024, the shipping industry reached an important date requiring mandatory compliance with the IMO BWM Convention Regulation D-2 ballast water discharge performance standard. The majority of ships in the global fleet have installed BWMS, and treated ballast water operations occur on a daily basis around world. The BWMS manufacturing industry is showing typical signs of market maturity with repositioning and acquisitions, along with a focus on support and service for their installed systems.
While the impression could be that ballast water is therefore "finished" or "done" and there is nothing more to do, there are actually a variety of critical aspects that stakeholders are just beginning to gain experience with. Three key topics are: 1) building experience with the recently approved Guidance for ship operations in challenging water quality, 2) approvals for modified BWMS with existing type approval and the related impacts to shipowners, and 3) enforcement and compliance. As all stakeholders collectively enter into the next chapters of the ballast water management story, it’s clear that ballast water is very much alive.
Trained as an environmental biologist, Marcie has focused on aquatic invasive species and ballast water topics for 22 years. She assists shipowners with regulatory compliance, guides ballast water treatment technology manufacturers through US and international approvals, and acts as an advisor to regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders. A primary goal in her work is to facilitate productive working relationships between scientists, technology developers, industry and regulatory stakeholders.
Marcie is Vice President of EnviroManagement, Inc., an environmental services company she co-founded in 2002. She is a Fellow of the Institute for Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and is Chair of the Ballast Water Special Interest Group. Marcie is also the Secretary General for the Ballastwater & Environmental Manufacturers’ Association (BEMA), a global industry association dedicated to supporting the environmental sustainability of the maritime industry.