Regulation & environment
Ballast water management
Meaning
Ballast water management rules require ships to treat ballast water before discharging it, to stop invasive marine species spreading between regions.
Also written as BWM, Ballast water treatment, BWTS
Ballast water management explained
Under the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, ships must meet a treatment standard, usually by fitting a ballast water treatment system. Tankers take on large volumes of ballast for every ballast leg, so a working system is essential for loading.