Ballast Water Treatment Association Established

The manufacturers and stakeholders in the ballast water treatment equipment market have taken a major step forward by codifying a unified manufacturers’ association.

The Ballastwater Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (BEMA) met on April 19, 2018 for their first Annual Meeting and elected the inaugural Board of Directors.

The paramount need for this association arose from the growing demand for well-founded information on the practicability of ballast water treatment technologies, as well as on the technical and environmental aspects of implementing ballast water management regulations worldwide.

Following the announcement of a further delay of the 2004 IMO Ballast Water Convention implementation dates, which occurred at MEPC 71, a group of industry insiders gathered in New York City to draw up the framework of what was to become BEMA.

The association moved from concept to reality with their first official meeting on March 9, 2018.

The attendees at this seminal meeting, made up of representatives of equipment manufacturers, industry stakeholders, and component suppliers from all technologies and regions of the world, voted on and adopted a set of draft Bylaws as well as other formation documents, setting the stage for selecting the organization’s Board of Directors and electing the first slate of association officers.