(MIDDLETOWN, R.I. and LONDON) — Videotel, a KVH company, has revised its ballast water management (BWM) training package to address the requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s newly ratified BWM Convention, a global treaty that is designed to stop the spread of invasive species from ships’ ballast water.
Beginning next year, all ships engaged in international trade will need a ballast water management plan to remove or neutralize harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, an International Ballast Water Management Certificate; and, an onboard record book to prove compliance.
Videotel’s training package, Ballast Water Management, Edition 2, available immediately, covers BWM plan implementation including proper record keeping and the need for operator training on a compliant onboard system to treat ballast water and eliminate unwanted organisms. The Videotel program also describes various approved ballast water management systems that are appropriate for different types of vessels.
The Ballast Water Management Convention will enter into force in September 2017; it has been under consideration for many years, as understanding has grown of the environmental impact from invasive species carried in ballast water. The design of cargo vessels for decades has included the requirement to carry water as ballast to ensure the ship’s stability, and the water is routinely taken in and discharged at different places around the world by ships engaged in international trade.
Videotel’s training solutions are in use on more than 12,000 vessels worldwide, and include 950 new and updated titles to meet current seafarer training needs. The Videotel programs are available in a range of formats, including 500-plus e-learning courses. Videotel’s Basic Training Package of 20 essential maritime training programs is available via KVH’s IP-MobileCast content delivery service, which utilixes multicasting technology to deliver news, entertainment, and operations content without using vessels’ monthly airtime data allotments.
For more information, visit www.videotel.com.
