Chaos brewing in ballast water

The 15-year interval between the conception and entry into force of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention left abundant opportunity for invasive organisms to do their nasty work, and despite the sector’s reputation for inertia, some shipowners grew tired of waiting. At the time, they were warned that early adopters of ballast water management (BWM) systems would suffer, having to spend more money to replace their ‘stranded assets’ in a few years’ time.