The upcoming meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee of IMO is scheduled to be held in London from July 3rd to July 7th. During the meeting, guidelines regarding biofouling will be presented for adoption, and a protocol for the monitoring devices to ensure compliance with ballast water regulations will also be discussed.
Prior to the upcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting, the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 10) held a meeting on April 24-28, 2023, where they approved biofouling guidelines and a protocol for ballast water monitoring devices.
At the upcoming 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) on 3-7 July 2023, the 2023 Biofouling Guidelines will be presented for adoption. These guidelines aim to improve and update the previous version to make it more effective and widely accepted.
PPR 10 also recommended creating guidelines for in-water cleaning during a future meeting. The target completion year for these guidelines has been extended to 2025, and the guidelines will now be referred to as "Development of guidance on matters relating to in-water cleaning.
In addition, PPR 10 approved a preliminary version of the protocol for verifying ballast water compliance monitoring devices, which will be presented for final adoption at MEPC 80. The protocol is a crucial mechanism for facilitating the effective implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) by establishing a shared quality standard for devices used for different purposes. These purposes include checking ballast water management systems during commissioning, inspections by port state control, and ships' self-monitoring. Contact Albion Marine Solutions for more information at
