This week, both
Fiji and Belgium signed up to the IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM)
Convention. Finland is also believed to be close to ratifying the convention.
Although the two
IMO members states bring the number of states ratifying the convention to 49,
with an aggregate of 34.82% of the world's merchant fleet tonnage, the
percentage is still slightly below the threshold of 35%, which would trigger
its entry into force.
If Finland signs,
this will still leave an estimated 0.04% shorts, Lloyd’s Register said at a
presentation this week.
The BWM Convention
will enter into force 12 months after ratification by 30 States, representing
35% of world merchant shipping tonnage. ?
As for Belgium, the
country also deposited its instrument of accession to the Hong Kong Ship
Recycling Convention, bringing the number of contracting states up to four. The
Hong Kong convention will enter into force 24 months after the date on which 15
States, representing not less than 40% of world merchant shipping by gross
tonnage, become party to the treaty.
In addition, the
combined maximum annual ship recycling volume of those states must, during the
preceding 10 years, constitute not less than 3% of their combined merchant
shipping tonnage.
IMO secretary
general, Kitack Lim, has encouraged other states that had not already done so,
to ratify both the BWM and Hong Kong treaties, in order to bring them into force.
At this week’s
Navigate/IPTA chemical/products carrier conference, in a keynote speech, he
also called upon states to ratify the HNS Convention (Hazardous and Noxious
Substances by Sea Convention), which has been around since 1996.
A 2010 protocol to
the convention has been signed by Canada, France, Germany, Greece, the
Netherlands, Norway, and Turkey, thus far.
Source:
tanker
operator. 11 March 2016
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