Ballast Water Compliance Faces Global Stress Test

When inspectors board vessels later this year, many shipowners will be watching closely. Since September, Port State Control (PSC) authorities have been undertaking a global Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) focused entirely on effective ballast water management. It is the first coordinated effort of its kind since the Ballast Water Management Convention came into force in 2017, and it will test how well the industry has adapted to the D-2 treatment standard.

The campaign, led by the Paris and Tokyo MoUs, is expected to bring compliance under intense scrutiny. PSC officers are examining certification, crew competence, record-keeping and system functionality, revealing whether the thousands of ballast water management systems (BWMSs) now installed are truly performing as intended.

According to Brookes Bell’s Managing Marine Engineer, Rushdie Rasheed, the campaign is likely to be a defining moment. “This is the first time we have seen such a coordinated international effort focusing solely on ballast water,” he says. “It will expose how well the industry has really adapted to the D-2 standard, and I expect it will reveal a significant number of issues related to ballast water treatment systems and Ballast Water Management Plans.”

Around 95% of BWMSs pass commissioning, yet up to 40% later fail during port inspections. The gap between approval and operation often comes down to environmental factors and installation challenges. BWTS tested in a factory setting after production for type approval can struggle when exposed to the harsher elements of the marine environment.

“There are about 70 different makes of BWTS’s, each using a different treatment method such as mechanical filtration, ultraviolet treatment or electro-chlorination,” he says. “They are tested under controlled conditions in a factory setting during type approval, but when they are fitted on board, environmental factors such as temperature, salinity and turbidity can affect the plant’s optimum performance.”

He recalls a recent case that landed on Brookes Bell’s desk involving an electro-chlorination system that failed to operate in icy waters with low salinity conditions “The system required a certain level of salinity to effect electro chlorination for disinfection, but when treating low salinity fresh water, the treatment system could not function as intended. The ship became non-compliant, even though the system had been type-approved by the Flag state and commissioned correctly.”

Human factors

While technology continues to improve, human factors remain a key driver of compliance outcomes. A lack of familiarity from the crew on the BWTS, complex system design and commercial pressures can all contribute to substandard competency and non-compliant operation of the BWTS. On many vessels, engineers and officers move between ships fitted with different BWMSs adopting different operating principals can create knowledge gaps that often only surface during external inspections.

Rasheed believes the focus should shift towards operational culture and training. “Even the most advanced design and equipment cannot deliver reliable performance without a well-prepared crew who fully understand how to operate it,” he explains.

Computer-based training programmes and virtual simulators are helping to close the training gap by enabling seafarers to familiarise themselves with specific systems before joining a vessel. When combined with onboard drills, hands-on training sessions, and clear operating procedures, these tools support consistent operational performance across varying crew competencies, even with frequent crew changes.

Record-keeping remains one of the most common deficiencies in ballast water compliance, with Paris MoU data showing that nearly 60% of all ballast water deficiencies relate to documentation and improper record keeping. Crew fatigue and workload play a large part in this as ballast operations and treatment often take place outside normal watchkeeping hours or in parallel to cargo loading and discharge operations.

To tackle the issues related to recordkeeping on ballast treatment operations, digital logbooks are increasingly seen as a viable long-term solution. They can eliminate delayed or inaccurate entries by recording data in real time, complete with automatic timestamps and remote verification. “A digital logbook removes much of the risk of human error,” Rasheed says “digital record-keeping will be done in tandem with ballasting operations, supported by built-in checks to prevent incorrect entries. The process becomes cleaner and more transparent as they can be remotely monitored and verified by a shore management team.”

Although some operators are cautious about making the switch, the benefits outweigh the perceived challenges. Digital systems reduce administrative burden, improve transparency and demonstrate a proactive approach to compliance, which PSC inspectors increasingly value.

Culture of compliance

As inspection regimes evolve, the focus is shifting from technical compliance to a more holistic approach that blends technology, training and awareness.

Rasheed believes that sustained compliance depends on combining digital tools with human competence. “Compliance is not a single event. It is an ongoing process that protects reliability of operations and the standing of your organisation.,” he says. “Digitalisation can reduce the risk of error, but the people behind the systems still make the difference.”

He adds that ballast water management should not be seen as the sole responsibility of the vessel’s senior management. Instead, it should form part of the wider maritime curriculum so that every officer joining a vessel understands how these systems work. “We need to make ballast water management a routine, well-understood task rather than a specialist procedure handled by only a few. The more familiar crews are with it, the more consistent and reliable the compliance of ballast water treatment will become.”

With the global inspection campaign already underway, one lesson stands out clearly. Ballast water management is no longer just about equipment or certification. Its success relies on the right combination of digital solutions, skilled crews and a shared culture of responsibility across the industry.