Ballast water management and their system processing

Vol. 114, No. 4 EnvironewsOpen AccessEHPnet: International Maritime Organization Erin E. Dooley Erin E. Dooley Search for more papers by this author Published:1 April 2006https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.114-a219AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit In 1948 an international conference in Geneva adopted a convention formally establishing what is today called the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO initially worked mainly to ensure maritime safety, but after a 1967 spill of 100,000 tons of crude oil off the southern coast of England, the organization began focusing attention on alleviating the environmental impacts of the shipping industry. Today the IMO has devoted a section of its website at http://www.imo.org/home.asp to these environmental programs.The Marine Environment section, accessible through the menu at the top of the IMO homepage, provides an overview of how the IMO works to regulate and prevent marine pollution by ships, with links to in-depth information on the applicable international treaties. The first such treaty is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78), which was adopted in 1973 and modified in 1978. This treaty governs accidental and operational oil pollution as well as pollution by chemicals, packaged goods, sewage, garbage, and air pollution. The 1990 International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation calls on parties to establish measures for reporting and handling oil pollution incidents. The IMO also serves as secretariat for the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, which was adopted in 1972.A list of links on the Marine Environment page leads to other topics of interest. The Ship Recycling page has a detailed overview of the IMO’s moves to govern the disassembly and recycling of ships. Although the organization adopted recommended guidelines on ship recycling in 2003, the IMO’s senior technical body agreed in 2005 to develop legally binding regulations for the design, construction, operation, and preparation of ships to enable safer and more environmentally sound recycling, along with rules for enforcing the instrument. The Ship Recycling page also has links to an IMO article on ship recycling, to pages on the current guidelines for ship recycling, and to the website for the joint IMO/International Labour Organization/Basel Convention Working Group on Ship Scrapping.The Prevention of Pollution section has links to pages on specific forms of pollution covered by the conventions that the IMO is responsible for (such as oil pollution, chemical pollution, sewage, and air pollution). These pages provide information on the specific protocols that govern each area, background on the pollution source and the problems it can cause, and details about how the treaties came about. Within this section there is also a page about shipboard pollution prevention equipment required under MARPOL 73/78.The Ballast Water Management section includes information on the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, which was adopted in February 2004, as well as information in seven languages on other IMO guidelines covering this subject. There is also an external link to the site for the Global Ballast Water Management Programme, a partnership between the IMO, the UN Development Programme, and the Global Environment Facility that seeks to help developing countries understand the problem of ballast contamination and prepare to implement the convention.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Vol. 114, No. 4 April 2006Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 April 2006Published in print1 April 2006 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

The paper analyses statutory foundations applicable to ships requiring to be exempted from the mandatory installation of the ballast water management system. In particular, it deals with ships sailing on regular international lines but within the semi-closed seas, such as the Adriatic Sea. The legal framework is set out in the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM, 2004), the IMO Guidelines for Risk Assessment A-4 (G7), and the Croatian Ordinance on Ballast Water Control and Management, 2012 [Pravilnik o upravljanju i nadzoru balastnih voda]. The paper presents the model procedure to be followed by main stakeholders, mainly national maritime administrations and shipping companies. The paper outlines the main advantages and disadvantages of the whole process and analyses several cases of good practice. Furthermore, the main stakeholders in the approval procedure and their responsibilities are described, available risk assessment models are analysed, with the particular emphasis on the species-specific risk assessment method as the most preferred method. Finally, the need for cooperation between the involved states and their maritime administrations is considered. It is concluded that bilateral and regional cooperations are an essential element in preserving the marine environment of any sea area. In that respect, the proposed model of the BWM system exemption approval in closed and semi-closed seas, such as the Adriatic Sea, is essential for shipping companies connecting ports in different countries on regular routes. Although demanding in respect of efforts and time, a procedure is viable and may be carried out in due time and with satisfactory outcomes.

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) in 2024, gives us at least 7 years of data to analyze accounting for technology samples in marine and ships’ ballast water monitoring and forecasting. Marine technology played a crucial role in closing the gap between the adoption of the Convention and its coming into force, a 13-year gap that involved world-wide experimentation and investment in marine technologies which had to be approved for compliance by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well as Port States. Compliance Monitoring Devices (CMDs) with rapid results have been generally used in providing marine environmental invasion controls and have been used by Port States to enforce compliance in ballast water management. Qualitative, regulatory and quantitative data have been synthesized in this study from select experiments to test for compliance monitoring success. Going forward, rapid result devices will remain ideal in ship and port time management, particularly with a move towards electronic ballast water record books which also serve as an important forecasting tool for compliance as such data can be pre-delivered to the electronic records of the Port State for reaction prior to ship arrival, that way major issues can be dealt with while the ship is en voyage, for pre-emptive national security measures.

Global Environment Facility has identified that the spread of marine invasive alien species is one of the four major risk factors threatening the safety of global marine environments. Ballast water discharge is the main cause of biological invasion. With physical methods of strong electric field ionization discharge at atmospheric pressure, O2 and sea water (gaseous) were ionized, and then dissociated to a number of oxygen active particles (ROS) such as ·OH, O2+, H2O+, etc. ROS was injected into 0.6 t h−1 ballast water treatment system to form high concentration ROS solution in order to kill the harmful micro-organisms in ballast water. According to the land-based test standard of International Maritime Organization (IMO) Guidelines for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (G8), this paper concludes that single-cell algae of 3.0 × 104 cell ml−1 and bacteria of 2.0 × 104 cfu ml−1 were killed by ROS solution of 2.0 ppm. Death rate could reach almost 100%. The results meet the requirements of Regulation D-2 of International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments completely.

Non-native aquatic species can be introduced in new areas through emptying of the ballast tanks, with a high impact on health, economy and environment. This is considered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO): (i) in 2004, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BMW Convention) in order to diminish the risk of introducing harmful and/or potentially invasive species through ballast water. (ii) the BWM Convention entered into force on 8 September 2017 and could opens a new market for ballast water treatment. The aim for industry is to operate with an acceptable fouling rate between cleaning steps. Indeed, if fouling rates are low, clean in place will be infrequent. The aim of this work is to develop a sustainable ultrafiltration system designed for ballast water treatment and the first step is to have a better understanding of membrane fouling in relation to intake water variations. The major contribution and novelty of this study is successful ballast water treatment using an ultrafiltration process at industrial scale a high technological readiness level in order to show the applicability of the ultrafiltration processes for the ballast water treatment. In this study operating conditions were determined for seawater and freshwater conditions.

The introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species (NIASs) was identified as one of the major threats to aquatic ecosystems. Shipping is one of the potential invasive pathways for the introduction of marine NIASs, mainly via ballast water, sediments, and ship fouling. In addition, The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) aims to mitigate the introduction risk of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOPs) via ships’ ballast water and sediment. Some of these species can be very harmful and cause loss of biodiversity, adverse environmental consequences, and economic and social impacts. In this study, an empirical model based on the environmental similarity and the vessel characteristics was used to assess the risk associated with the ballast water, for the incoming vessels to the port of Kaohsiung and port of Riga. The priority for port state control (PSC) inspection was established and recommended for better ballast water management.

To cope with the problems in the marine ecosystem caused by the ballast water from ships, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004. In response to this legislation, ballast water treatment systems are being developed worldwide. The ballast-free ship concept proposed by Yokohama National University is aimed at solving this ballast water problem from a completely different standpoint. In the proposed system, seawater continuously passes through the buoyancy control tank to keep the contents of the water inside the tank the same as that outside the ship. A series of studies on this new concept has been carried out by the authors, including the analysis of seawater circulating performance inside the buoyancy control tanks, an examination of the increase in resistance caused by adding small appendages such as intake and exit gates on the ship bottom, a study of structural integrity of the system, and related work. In the present study, we used a scale model of an actual double bottom tank and carried out an experiment to examine the water exchange performance of the proposed system on the open sea. In the model experiment, the water inside the tank was set as fresh water initially, and as time passed, the water inside the tank changed to the seawater outside the tank. The water locality ratio inside the tank was evaluated based on the salinity change of the water inside the tank and the change of the numbers of phytoplankton cells inside the tank. Numerical results and experimental results were compared to examine the performance of the proposed ballast-free system.

International Maritime Organization adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004 to prevent the transfer of aquatic organisms through ballast water. The Convention is expected to be applied in 2010. About 30 ballast water treatment systems are developing now in the world using the technologies of mechanical separation, micro-agitation, ultraviolet, ozone, chemicals or electrochemical disinfections. This paper considers the matter of principle mechanism, overview of the system, installation on shipboard, shipboard test results and risk of active substances for the Electro-Cleen which is a ballast water treatment system based on electrochemical disinfection technology. This Electro-Cleen treatment system was granted IMO basic approval as a ballast water treatment system using active substances in March 2006, and final approval in October 2008. The Type Approval Certificate was issued in December 2008 by the Government of Republic of Korea. The Electro-Cleen system consists of electrolysis module, rectifier, heat-exchanger, power distributor, Control PC, neutraliser and several sensors. An electrolysis module is installed in the middle of the ballast pipe to disinfect micro-organisms in the ballast water. Land-based tests with the barge ship and shipboard tests with the 8300 GT M/V Yokohama and 27,000 DWT M/V Greenwing have already been conducted. These tests confirmed that the Electro-Cleen system satisfies all of the IMO standards and is suitable for installation in new and existing ships.

국제해사기구(IMO)는 선박평형수를 통한 수중생물의 이동을 막기 위해, 2004년 선박 평형수와 침전물 통제 및 관리를 위한 국제협약을 채택하였다. 34개 선박평형수 처리장치가 IMO 활성물질 승인을 받았고, 이 가운데 20개 처리장치가 최종승인을 받았다. 본 논문에서는 IMO 활성물질 승인을 받은 처리장치에 대한 작용 원리와 총잔류산화제(TRO) 농도를 고찰하였다. TRO 최대 허용 배출 농도는 중화장치를 통해 낮추어 대부분 0.2 ppm 이하의 농도를 보였으나, 최대 처리 허용 농도는 장치별로 1-15 ppm으로 큰 차이를 나타내었다. 처리장치 별로 TRO 처리 허용 농도의 차이는 처리장치의 특성 및 필터의 유무와 종류 등과의 연관성 보다는 생물 사멸시험 시 생물종 특성과 수온, 탁도 등 수질 특성에 기인하는 바가 크다고 판단된다.

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), comprising of nine Baltic Sea countries and the European Union, is working to protect the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, including biological pollution from alien species. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, singed by Contracting States’ environmentministers and EU, includes a Road Map for harmonized implementation and ratification of the International Convention for Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, with an overall aim of all Baltic Sea countries ratifying the Convention latest in 2013.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) since September 8, 2017, has implemented the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention as an effort to protect the maritime environment from ballast water pollution. The ballast water is water used by ships to maintain stability when the ship is unloaded to sail safely. This study aims to determine to what extent the understanding of PIP Semarang cadets in the 7th and 8th semesters of Post Sea Project to the BWM Convention. The research method used is an analytic description with a cross-sectional approach using questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The sample consisted of 49 cadets majoring in the Deck and Engine departments. The study results indicated that most of the respondents do not understand the BWM Convention correctly. On the question of when BWM was enacted, the correct answer was 2.04%. On the question of when Indonesia ratified the BWM, the correct answer was 0%. On the question of how the implementation of BWM for the D-1 standard (ballast exchange) was 2.04% and the D-2 standard (ballast treatment) is 4.08%. However, on the question about the importance of handling ballast water 34.69% answered correctly, which means that they know the dangers of ballast water and it is very important to handle it so as not to impact health and environment. The suggestion is to disseminate the information to cadets through seminars, including marine pollution courses or special training on ballast water.

With the process of industry productions, the polar region which is the last maiden land for human being on the earth is confronted to the environment pollution increasingly. In accordance with the development of green shipbuilding technologies in the world, the ballast system of a science icebreaker should be researched and designed particularly because the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed international legislation, the International Convention for the Control and Management of ships’ ballast water and sediments, to regulate discharges of ballast water and reduce the risk of introducing non-native species from ships’ ballast water. Not only the scientific research icebreaker is ensured to work normally in the polar region, but also the weak ocean environment is protected.

Ballast water is a major vector for the transport of aquatic non-indigenous species among ecosystems worldwide. To comply with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, vessels on international voyages commonly rely on Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) to meet the D-2 performance standard, often using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation as a key disinfection step. UV-light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) offer a mercury-free UV source with long lifespan and flexibility in wavelength selection; compared to conventional lamps, they are smaller in size and require no warm-up time. Yet, their effects on larger planktonic organisms (≥50μm) remain poorly understood. Here, we tested the effect of UV-C-LED (λ=265nm) on larvae of the invasive European green crab Carcinus maenas, assessing mortality, immobility, and respiration under three UV-C doses (40, 120, and 200mJ·cm-2). All UV-C treatments significantly reduced larval motility and respiration relative to controls, leading to increased mortality over time. Larvae required comparatively high doses (120-200mJ·cm-2) to reach substantial inactivation, relative to doses reported for bacterial and phytoplanktonic fractions. These results provide species- and life stage-specific UV-C thresholds for the ≥50μm size class and demonstrate the value of combining behavioural, lethal and physiological endpoints when validating UV-LED-based BWMS.

A shipboard comparison of analytic methods for ballast water compliance monitoring

Same Risk Area refers to an area-based approach for the risk assessment of aquatic invasive species that considers the extent of natural dispersal. It is a new addition to the Guidelines on Risk Assessment (G7) under the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. The method outlined here to define the extent of a Same Risk Area assesses the connectivity of species of concern within a wider area by combining information from simulated hydrodynamic data and agent-based modelling with the biological traits and habitat preferences of the selected target species.