The damaging introduction of invasive species continues unabated fourteen years after the adoption of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC). The Convention came into force in September, 2017, 13 years after its adoption. Qualifying commercial vessels will need to comply with international discharge regulations and must now contend with complex regulations, uncertain Ballast Water Treatment System performance and potentially inconsistent enforcement internationally. Part of the dilemma rests with the stringent standards which often take days to determine. When certification testing is superseded by rapid Port State Control (PSC) compliance assessment during a port visit, questions arise regarding the logistics of sampling/analysis and the functionality of the BWTS.

Reflecting doubts about the performance of installed BWTS IMO have proposed an interim Experience Building Phase (EBP) wherein BWTS non-compliance would not be penalised if operated in good faith.

This paper presents a rationale for a robust global programme to test the efficacy of BWTS through Port State Control, using the U.K. as a ‘Case Study’. Rapid prognostic testing during port visits would be employed using technologies certified by regulatory agencies. Such indicative testing would not necessarily address every single aspect of international standards, but would represent robust compliance assessment, that would provide feedback data vital to the improvement of BWTS.

Abbreviations: AIS: Aquatic Invasive Species; BWMC: Ballast Water Management Convention; BWTS: Ballast Water Treatment System; CFC: Chlorofluorocarbons; EBP: (IMO) Experience Building Phase; FDOM: Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter; HC: Hydrocarbons; HCF: Hydrofluorocarbons; HCFC: Hydrochlorofluorocarbons; IMO: International Maritime Organization; IOPP: International Oil Pollution Prevention; MARPOL: Marine Pollution (Convention); MEPC: IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee; NO_x: Nitrogen oxides; SERC: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, U.S.A.

在 IMO 压载水管理公约 (BWMC) 获得通过 14 年后，入侵物种的破坏性引入继续有增无减。该公约于 2017 年 9 月生效，即通过 13 年后。符合条件的商船需要遵守国际排放法规，现在必须应对复杂的法规、不确定的压载水处理系统性能以及可能在国际上不一致的执法。部分困境在于严格的标准，这些标准通常需要几天时间才能确定。在港口访问期间，当认证测试被快速港口国控制 (PSC) 合规性评估所取代时，就会出现与采样/分析的物流和 BWTS 的功能有关的问题。

为反映对已安装 BWTS 性能的怀疑，IMO 提出了一个临时经验积累阶段 (EBP)，其中如果善意操作 BWTS 违规行为将不会受到处罚。

本文以英国作为“案例研究”，提出了通过港口国控制测试 BWTS 功效的强大全球计划的基本原理。将使用监管机构认证的技术在港口访问期间进行快速预测测试。这种指示性测试不一定涉及国际标准的每一个方面，但将代表稳健的合规性评估，这将提供对改进 BWTS 至关重要的反馈数据。

缩写： AIS：水生入侵物种；BWMC：压载水管理公约；BWTS：压载水处理系统；CFC：氯氟烃；EBP：（IMO）体验建设阶段；FDOM：荧光溶解有机物；HC：碳氢化合物；HCF：氢氟烃；HCFC：氢氯氟烃；IMO：国际海事组织；IOPP：国际油污染防治；MARPOL：海洋污染（公约）；MEPC：IMO 海洋环境保护委员会；NO _x：氮氧化物；SERC：史密森尼环境研究中心，美国马里兰州厄齐沃特