Which convention regulates ballast water?

• A. MARPOL Convention
• B. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
• C. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (2004)
• D. The London Convention

Answer: (C)

Ballast water is a vector for moving marine organisms around the world, so global rules focus on how ships handle it. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (2004) is the specific treaty that sets binding requirements for ballast water and sediments, including mandatory ballast water management plans, treatment standards, and records of discharge. It’s administered under the IMO and provides the dedicated framework to prevent the spread of invasive species through ballast water, making it the best answer for which convention regulates ballast water.

Other conventions address marine pollution or laws of the sea in broader terms, but they do not establish the targeted ballast water management standards and procedures that this treaty does.