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Qatar Accedes to BWM Convention
?Sixty-eight countries have now signed up to International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Ballast Water Management Convention, with Qatar being the latest to accede to the treaty helping to protect the marine environment.
The signatories now represent more than 75% of the world's
merchant fleet tonnage.
Under the treaty, ships are required to manage their ballast
water, which can contain thousands of aquatic or marine microbes,
plants and organisms, which are then carried across the globe.
H.E. Mr. Yousef Ali Al-Khater, Ambassador of Qatar to the United
Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO
Headquarters, London (8 February) to deposit the instrument of
accession.
The Ballast Water Management Convention or BWM Convention (full
name International Convention for the Control and Management of
Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004) is a treaty adopted by
the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in order to help
prevent the spread of potentially harmful aquatic organisms and
pathogens in ships' ballast water.
From 8 September 2017, ships must manage their ballast water so
that aquatic organisms and pathogens are removed or rendered
harmless before the ballast water is released into a new
location. This will help prevent the spread of invasive species
as well as potentially harmful pathogens.
IMO is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility
for developing global standards for ship safety and security and
for the protection of the marine environment and the atmosphere
from any harmful impacts of shipping.
Feb 8, 2018
