Speakers
Ballast Water: Biosecurity Regulations Keeping Pace with Industry
The Ballastwater & Environmental Manufacturers’ Association (BEMA) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing manufacturers and service providers in the ballast water and biofouling equipment markets with leadership and a unified voice. The Association works on behalf of its members to provide technical information to relevant stakeholders about effective treatment of ballast water and biofouling technology designed to prevent the transfer of aquatic invasive species by ships. BEMA contributes technical information and real-world experience to support the work and strategic goals of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and serves as a central point for regulatory agencies, the testing community, and the general public seeking information about biosecurity management equipment.
With ongoing implementation of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention, equipment manufacturers and ship owners have gained significant ballast water management system (BWMS) operational experience. As the international community works to update current ballast water regulations and develop new regulations for biofouling management, BEMA’s technical input is critical for the IMO, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and other authorities to support effective regulation based on available technology. The experience BEMA Members have gained through the 20-year journey of implementing ballast water management regulations, makes BEMA well-suited to support these efforts.
The goal of this presentation is to share BEMA’s current work to highight areas where our Members see opportunities for regulatory framework revisions to support technology innovation for improving environmental sustainability of ships, and to support development of technically informed biosecurity regulations.