Managing ballast water compliance doesn’t have to be a spreadsheet nightmare.
The BWM Suite is a dedicated full-stack application for ship operators and maritime compliance teams to manage IMO BWM Convention requirements in one place.
Core Features
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Fleet Manager — Register your vessels with full technical specs (IMO number, GT, DWT, ballast capacity, tank count, BWMS type, installation date, certificate details). All fields editable. IMO numbers link directly to the vessel record for fast editing.
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Ballast Water Record Book — Log every ballast operation inline: date/time (UTC), position, tank ID, operation type (ballasting/deballasting), volume, salinity, source water, and treatment method. Supports CSV import/export for bulk entry. All data tenant-isolated.
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D-2 Calculator — Check discharge compliance against MEPC.200(62) D-2 organism count limits. Select BWMS type (Electrochlorination, UV, Ozone, etc.), source water salinity, discharge volume, and USCG waters flag. Returns pass/fail status, effectiveness percentage, and USCG approval flag.
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Exchange Calculator — Determines required exchange procedure (D-1 or D-2) based on voyage route, ballast volume, total capacity, BWMS status, and distance. Calculates exchange volumes for both 95% and 3× exchange methods.
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Cost Calculator — Estimates BWMS retrofit costs (low/mid/high) across five years including installation, consumables, and servicing. Gives cost per cubic metre and USCG approvability.
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Reports — Download a fleet-wide compliance summary as PDF or XML, or generate an IMO-style Ballast Water Record Book (PDF or XML) for any individual vessel.
Tech Stack
Backend: FastAPI + SQLAlchemy (async) + PostgreSQL, JWT auth via python-jose + passlib, PDF generation with ReportLab. Frontend: React + TypeScript + Vite, Nautilus design system, Axios with token refresh interceptor.
Getting started
The BWMS Suite is live at https://bwms.ingeniat.eu — no signup required.
Demo account (frontend login):
[email protected]/admin123— admin role
Note: The BWM Suite was originally built as a standalone desktop-style application. It has since been reworked into a full client-server architecture with a dedicated FastAPI backend and PostgreSQL database, deployed as a separate service for demo purposes.
Features
D-2 Compliance Calculator
Know your status before you discharge.
Enter your ballast volume, BWMS system type, and source water quality. Get an instant estimated compliance assessment against D-2 discharge limits — including organism counts for organisms ≥50μm, 10–50μm, E. coli, Enterococci, and V. cholerae.
– Validated 7-digit IMO lookup from fleet registry
– Estimated treatment time based on system capacity
– Color-coded pass/fail against every D-2 parameter
– Works offline — no internet required on board
Exchange vs Treatment Decision Tool
Never second-guess a D-1 vs D-2 decision again.
Plug in your departure and arrival ports, ballast volume, and current BWMS status. Get a clear recommendation — and the math behind it.
– Automatic EU port detection (Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, and 20+ more)
– Calculates minimum exchange volume (95% or 3× tank capacity)
– Port State Control risk indicator for EU water routes
– Explains exactly what documentation you’ll need at the next PSC inspection
BWMS Cost Calculator
Make the investment case with real numbers.
Retrofits run $300,000 to $3,000,000+. Before you commit, model the true 5-year cost of ownership for every major BWMS technology.
– Technology-averaged cost ranges for UV, electrochlorination, ozone, hydrodynamic, and deoxygenation
– Size-adjusted estimates based on DWT or GT
– 5-year total cost of ownership — not just install price
– Cost-per-cubic-meter efficiency metric
– Technology pros, cons, and maintenance notes for each system type
Ballast Water Record Book Generator
IMO-compliant entries in under 60 seconds.
The BWM Convention requires a Ballast Water Record Book with every bunkering, discharge, transfer, and exchange logged — date, position, tank, volume, salinity, and treatment method. Our Record Book tool generates entries in the exact IMO BWM.2/Circ.55 format.
– One-click entry creation with pre-filled timestamps
– Dropdown for standard operation types and treatment methods
– CSV export for digital records
– Print-ready layout with vessel header, signature lines, and retention notice
– Entries persist in browser — build your record book over a voyage
Fleet Manager
Track every vessel in your fleet from one screen.
Add vessels manually or bulk-import from CSV. Track BWMS system type, treatment effectiveness rating, and International Ballast Water Management Certificate expiry date for every ship.
– Fleet-wide compliance dashboard with D-2 system ratings
– Certificate expiry calendar — flagging expired and soon-to-expire certificates
– Bulk CSV import and export
– Direct load into any calculator mode