The slow process of ratifying the ballast water convention, aimed at ensuring that the global fleet does not transport invasive species from one marine environment to another, could end up having a disruptive effect on the industry's willingness to act as first movers, warns Danish Maritime, which represents suppliers that - as it turned out - ventured prematurely into a market that has yet to fully take off.

The IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee, MEPC, will meet next week in London, and the ballast water convention will feature prominently on the agenda once again as several smaller nations - like at the previous meeting - are expected to join the field of countries that have ratified the convention.