SOCP Releases Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide

    BALTIMORE, MD, January 06, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) is pleased to announce the release of the Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) User Guide. Developed by Glosten in cooperation with the SOCP Members and support from the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), the Guide simplifies the complex regulatory framework around ballast water management and provides step-by-step methods for integrating and operating a compliant BWMS.

"The membership of SOCP should be extremely excited for the release of this Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide as we believe it is a great tool and will enhance awareness for all maritime operators," said SOCP President Jayson Toth. "The SOCP would like to give a special thank you to Project Executive Yanran Wang, DNV GL USA, Inc. for spearheading this project effort. We'd also like to thank participating SOCP Members for providing feedback, as well as Glosten and MARAD for their contributions making this a successful project."

The Guide is geared primarily towards ballast water management for U.S. flag operators in both domestic and international trade; however, foreign flag operators may find aspects of the Guide useful for planning, particularly if they operate vessels in U.S. waters under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard. A second release of the Guide is under development and will include several important areas of guidance, such as the ballast water management plan, inspections, sampling, and contingency measures.

"We are honored to once again support the SOCP with the development of this User Guide," said Alan Orthmann, marine engineer at Glosten. "The Guide presents a straightforward method for developing a successful BWMS program, and organizes key guidance into a ready-to-use document. We encourage owners and operators to provide experience-based feedback for incorporation into the next release."

Register to download the BWMS User Guide here: https://www.socp.us/bwms

About Glosten: Glosten is a full-service consulting firm of naval architects and marine, electrical, production, and ocean engineers. The firm is recognized throughout the marine industry for integrating advanced analysis with practical, experience-based design. Glosten offers two decades of ballast water management expertise. They have actively supported over two dozen ballast water management projects since 2000 and have helped owners achieve compliance on over 45 unique vessels.

About SOCP: SOCP is a non-profit organization of maritime industry professionals to promote beneficial innovations in ship and other maritime operations through the identification, development, and application of new methods, tools, and technologies. SOCP's overall objective is to improve the safety, productivity, efficiency, security, and environmental performance of U.S. vessel operations. Any organization with U.S. interests that support vessel operations is eligible to participate in the cooperative program.

# # #