Starting September 1, the Tokyo and Paris Memoranda of Understanding will jointly conduct a three-month Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Ballast Water Management (BWM). The campaign runs through November 30.
Port State Control officers will inspect ships to verify compliance with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (2004). Key checks include valid BWM certificates, approved BWM Plans, crew knowledge of procedures, and accurate ballast water records.
Non-compliance may lead to the identification of deficiencies, requirements to correct them within a set timeframe, or even ship detention until major problems are resolved.. Each vessel will be inspected once during the campaign.
The Paris MoU covers 27 European maritime authorities, while the Tokyo MoU includes 22 authorities from the Asia-Pacific region. Both coordinate port state inspections to enforce maritime regulations.
Photo: Paris MoU
