What led to development of BWM Convention?
The inadvertent transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in a vessel’s ballast water has been determined to have caused a significant adverse impact to many of the world’s coastal regions. The international maritime community, under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed several documents, including the “International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediment, 2004,” (Ballast Water Management Convention), which are aimed at preventing the introduction of unwanted aquatic organisms and pathogens through the discharge of ballast water and sediments.
