2nd IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Conference Held in London

February 20, 2013

With its topical theme, ‘Compliance and Enforcement’, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology’s 2nd IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Conference, is being held in central London on Thursday 9 – Friday 10 May 2013, just prior to IMO’s MEPC 65, when ballast water is firmly on the agenda.

“With ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Convention drawing ever-closer, our Ballast Water Experts Group have worked tirelessly both in the preparation of our annual conference, and in the work they have done in relation to the whole issue of ballast water management,” says David Loosley, Chief Executive of IMarEST. ”Naturally our conference is of vital interest to those with a technical and operational management remit within their organisations with the date for compliance approaching. It is designed to provide essential assistance to ship owners and operators to help them decide how to achieve compliance and ensure safe and effective ballast water management. The inaugural conference, held at the same time last year, attracted delegates from 22 countries, proving the worth of holding it a matter of days before MEPC 63 opened. We look forward to a similarly international attendance this year as ballast water management heads up the agenda.”

Aims of the two-day event

The conference will bring delegates up to date on the standing of the Ballast Water Management Convention and comprise keynote addresses, presentations on highly relevant issues first examining the issues associated with sampling and analysis and secondly, looking at the problems implementing compliant systems from the ship-owners and suppliers perspective; and also involve a number of panel discussions with panels comprising flag states, experts in technology, Class, and owners and operators.

Tom Mackey, Senior Consultant, Hyde Marine, Inc and Co-Chairman, IMarEST Ballast Water Expert Group (BWEG) will chair the conference, with his fellow Co-Chairman of BWEG, Dr David Wright, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland and President, Environmental Research Services delivering the opening keynote address ‘Consensus on compliance and enforcement – pipedream or possibility?’

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IMarEST, February 20, 2013