A summary of the decision taken at the seventieth session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) held from 24 to 28 October 2016 is provided as below for your information.

1. Ballast Water Management Convention
Ballast Water Management Convention was adopted in 2004 in order to prevent the adverse effects to the marine environment caused by the transfer of ballast water. The Convention will require ships to conduct ballast water exchange offshore or through Ballast Water Management Systems which meet the standard for the discharge of ballast water.
The Convention will enter into force on 8 September 2017 since Finland ratified the Convention on 8 September 2016 and the conditions for entry into force were satisfied.

(1) Status of ratification
After ratification by Finland, Panama and New Zealand ratified the Convention. Total number of contracting states of the Convention is 54 states, representing 53.30% of the world merchant shipping tonnage.

(2) Draft amendments to the Convention based on resolution A.1088(28)
At Assembly 28 held in 2013, resolution A.1088(28) was adopted, in which existing ships, originally required to install the Ballast Water Management Systems by the implementation date of the Convention, were allowed to be exempted from installation of the Systems for a period of maximum 5 years. At MEPC 69, the draft amendments to regulation B-3 of the Convention reflecting the requirements of resolution A.1088(28) were approved. The draft amendments are expected to be adopted at MEPC 72 which will be held following the entry into force of the Convention.
At this session, India and Liberia proposed to revise application schedule of regulation B-3 which allows further additional extension for the installation of the Systems to existing ships, based on an assumption of shortage of dockyard capacity for retrofitting the system, etc.
At the deliberation, there were divergent opinions such as to maintain the application schedule as approved at MEPC 69 or to exempt it until appropriate date following renewal survey for IOPP. As a result of the discussion, it was agreed to consider the proposal further at MEPC 71, including the alternative solutions proposed by other countries based on the proposal, while the draft amendments to the Convention reflecting the requirements of resolution A.1088(28) are retained.

(To be continued)