“Nobody knows about it.” Andrea Pezzini, CEO of Floating Life, is referring to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention, which enters into force on 8 September, 2017.

And, in fact, this makes it the perfect focus for the 2017 Floating Life Captains’ Forum, an annual event the management company used to host for any superyacht captains on board yachts under its management, and since 2016 has made it open to any superyacht captains. It’s an event with a premise that the CEO, talking exclusively to SuperyachtNews, explains is “the base of our philosophy” – to educate and raise awareness.

Pezzini is clear that this annual captains’ forum is, of course, to update superyacht captains. Yet there’s a conversation the CEO hopes will take place following the meeting. “The updates to the rules need to be understood on the owner’s side, too. A major problem in the yachting industry is many people don’t know that, as well as the captain, the owner also has a very big responsibility to apply what is written in the rules. The owner needs to know what rules are changing,” explains Pezzini. “That is why we are working on one side with the captains, and also with our clients, to update them on the situation.” The management company, he explains, in all its contracts with clients, has an article to ensure the client remains updated about any regulation changes pertinent to safety, security and anything else that may be relevant to the owner.

And we return to the Ballast Water Management Convention. “It’s a major problem. I find, in discussions with shipyards, captains and other industry members, nobody knows that in September 2017, the new rules apply. From my point of view, shipyards need to know, captains need to know and, as managers, we need to update our captains about these new systems. It’s very important.”

Coverage of the Ballast Water Management Convention from the Floating Life Captains’ Forum will be on SuperyachtNews shortly, and a detailed article on the Convention will appear in issue 180 of The Superyacht Report. You can subscribe to The Superyacht Report here.

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