Gov't approves plan to implement ballast water management convention

The plan targets to work with BWM member states to control and prevent maritime pollution and the destruction of native ecosystems by alien organisms transported through ship ballast water.

Foreign ships arriving at Vietnamese ports will be examined for evaluation of ships' ballast water.

Either ships of Vietnamese nationality or foreign ones operating in Viet Nam's waters are requested to comply with the provisions of the 2004 BWM Convention (including port waters, territorial waters and exclusive economic zones).

Viet Nam encourages information and technological sharing on the field.

Viet Nam joined the BWM Convention on November 23, 2023.

The convention, adopted in 2004, aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another, by establishing standards and procedures for the management and control of ships' ballast water and sediments, according to International Maritime Organization.

Under the convention, all ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. All ships will also have to carry a ballast water record book and an international ballast water management certificate. The ballast water management standards will be phased in over a period of time. As an intermediate solution, ships should exchange ballast water mid-ocean. However, eventually most ships will need to install an on-board ballast water treatment system./.