Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications have said that the country will ratify the Ballast Water Management Convention within the next few weeks. This could mean that Finland could deposit its instrument of ratification with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) imminently.
This follows rumblings in June whereby the Finnish Government proposed that the President of the Republic adopt the International Convention for the Management of Ships’ Ballast Water.
Then it all went quiet, due to the Finnish summer vacation I presume. However, now it looks like Finland might be the country to tip the Convention’s global tonnage ratification requirements over the 35% needed.
At the moment Finland’s represents approximately 0.14% of global shipping tonnage. When Peru became the 51st State to ratify the Convention in mid-June this year they pushed the global tonnage that has ratified the Convention up to 34.87%. Therefore, Finland could potentially provide the remaining ratifying tonnage required – but it will be very close.
Although, nothing is certain and recent movements by Panama to ratify with their 20% global tonnage would mean that they would beat Finland to the post, tipping the scales for certain.
The end may be in sight for this long ratification road.
Ship Efficiency Review News
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