The Ballastwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (BEMA) has submitted their application for NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Consultative Status with the IMO.
This is a logical next step for the global network of BWTS suppliers and allied industries to offer their official, non-commercial, and technical voice to the existing Regulators, Owners and Environmental groups currently represented at IMO.
Dr. Efi Tsolaki, President of BEMA says, “with the opportunity to gain NGO status at the IMO, BEMA will be able to provide their expertise on the technologies, capabilities, limitations and future R & D opportunities to the IMO discussions that are currently not available through other channels”. In addition, Dr. Tsolaki notes that both the IMO and BEMA are organizations whose Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals align with respect to supporting smooth implementation and oversight of the critical environmental challenge that invasive aquatic species presents. The operational information and real-world experiences offered by BEMA will help improve implementation and success of the BWM Convention through improving the exchange of information for all stakeholders.
The BEMA application has been made available to the IMO Council member States for their review and consideration at the 124th session of the IMO Council scheduled to conclude on October 22, 2020. Any questions regarding BEMA or their application for NGO Consultative Status should be directed to Dr. Tsolaki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
About BEMA
BEMA is an independent trade organization representing vendors, suppliers, and key partners in the ballast water treatment industry by providing coordinated, technical, non-commercial guidance to the market, including the regulating community, ship owners, and the testing community about how ballast water treatment systems work, how they are designed, and what the reasonable expectations are in regard to their performance.
For more information, please visit our website: www.bwema.org and join our conversations on Twitter @BEMAssociation and LinkedIn: Official BEMA LinkedIn Page