With the maritime industry facing significant changes in its
regulatory landscape in the coming years, it is important that
maritime sector stakeholders understand the way in which these
substantial modifications will affect them. Here, we briefly
consider the notable legal changes set out in the BWM Convention,
MARPOL 2020 and the Maritime 2050 Strategy.
Ballast Water Management Convention ("BWM
Convention")
The IMO's BWM Convention, which entered into force on 8
September 2017, governs the legal requirements for most vessels to
manage their ballast water to avoid the transfer of potentially
invasive species between environments. Broadly, this consists of
two requirements:
i) for vessels to exchange their ballast water in open seas
("D-1 requirement"); and
