Ballast Water Management

Ballast and deballast

• Ballasting or de-ballasting is a process where sea
water is taken in and out of the ship during her
stay at the port or at the sea.
• The sea water carried by the ship is known as
ballast water.
• Ballast or ballast water is sea water carried by a
vessel in its ballast tanks to ensure its trim,
stability and structural integrity.
• Ballast tanks are constructed in ships with piping
system and high capacity ballast pumps to carry
out the operation.
• During the olden days, ships used to carry solid ballast
for stability.
• However, as cargo capacities of ships increased,
loading and discharging of solid cargo posed problem
due to the solid ballast material leading to loss of time.
• As sea water was readily available and in huge amount,
ships started using it for ballasting and de-ballasting.
• Ballasting or de-ballasting is required when the ship is
to enter a channel, cross any canal, during loading or
unloading of cargo, and when it is going for berthing.
Ballasting and De ballasting Simplified
• When a ship is to sail without any cargo, it becomes light in weight and its
stability can get affected.
• Therefore, ballast water is taken in dedicated tanks in the ship to stabilize
it.
• Ballast tanks are filled with water with the help of high capacity ballast
pumps and this process is called Ballasting.
• When the ship is filled with cargo, the stability of the ship is maintained by
the weight of the cargo itself and thus there is no requirement of ballast
water.
• The process of taking out ballast water from the ballast tanks to make
them empty is known as de-ballasting.
• Ship’s ballast system consists of three main parts: the ballast tanks, the
piping system and the high capacity ballast pumps.
• Chief Officer (C/O) plans the ballasting and de-ballasting procedures in
line with the cargo operation. He takes into account the ship’s stability,
draft, vessel’s stresses, bending moments and many other factors.
 Ballast water management
• Ballast water reduces stresses on the vessel’s hull, balances off for
the weight loss due to consumption of water and fuel, provides
better maneuverability with sufficient vessel draft, including ship
propeller immersion, and also helps in improving living conditions
of the crew aboard by reducing vibrations and uncontrolled vessel’s
movements.
• While ballast water remains indispensable for safe, secure
and effectual shipping operations, it has been scientifically
researched and proven by expert authorities that ballast water is a
significant path for the transfer of harmful and equally damaging
aquatic organisms and other pathogens that pose serious
ecological, economic and health problems.
• If introduced into the sea including estuaries, or into fresh water
courses, may create hazards to the environment, human health,
property or resources, impair biological diversity or interfere with
other legitimate uses of such areas.
 Steps To Reduce Hazards Associated
with Ballast Water
• The global community, under the administration of IMO has
adopted the “International Convention for the Control and
Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004”.
• This Convention is intended at stopping the introduction of
superfluous aquatic organisms and pathogens through the
discharge of ballast water and sediments.
• The Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention is applicable to
new and existing ships that are designed to carry ballast water and
are of 400 gross tonnages and above.
• The BWM Convention entered into force on 8th September 2017.
• In order to show compliance with the requirements of the
Convention, each ship shall have on board a valid Certificate, a
Ballast Water Management Plan and a Ballast Water Record Book.
 Regulations defining BWM standards
• The Convention includes two regulations that define ballast water
management standards;
– Regulation D-1 addresses the Ballast Water Exchange standard; and
– Regulation D-2 details the Ballast Water Performance standard
towards the treatment of ballast water using Type Approved Ballast
Water Management System.
• The accountable authorities, which includes scientists, ship owners
and operators as well as flag States, have determined that the
method of ballast water exchange provides an effective means, to
prevent the unintended transfer of these harmful marine
organisms.
• This, of course, is on a temporary basis until the authorities come
up with a permanent solution related to ballast water treatment
systems.
 Ballast water exchange
• Ballast water exchange cannot be carried out anywhere
at sea. There are certain requirements that must be
complied with to perform a ballast water exchange at
sea.
– Conduct ballast water exchange at least 200 nautical miles
from the nearest land and in the water of at least 200
meters in depth.
– When a ship cannot meet the above criteria due to
reasons such as short voyage duration or enclosed waters,
the exchange is to be conducted as far from the nearest
land as possible, but at least 50 nautical miles from the
nearest land and in a water depth of at least 200 meters.
 Ballast water exchange
• A Port State, in consultation with adjacent or other
States, may designate areas where ballast water
exchange may be conducted if there are locations of
operation where the distance from nearest land and
water depth do not meet the above requirements.
• National ballast water management regulations must
be consulted in advance for proper planning.
• It is often mandatory to submit a ballast water
management report in many ports prior to arrival.
 Ballast Water Exchange
• Ballast water exchange is a process involving the substitution of water
in ship’s ballast tanks using either a sequential, flow-through, dilution or
other exchange methods which are recommended or made obligatory by
the IMO, in order to preserve ecology in biologically rich coastal waters
and similar to those in deep oceanic waters.
• Since it has been scientifically proven that those marine organisms and/or
pathogens are taken on in coastal waters are less likely to survive when
discharged into the open ocean due to changes in the water’s chemistry,
temperature and salinity, and similarly, those organisms taken onboard in
oceanic waters are less likely to survive in coastal waters, BWE is required
to be carried out during the vessel’s voyage through various zones of the
seabed.
• The quantity, distribution and circulation of ballast water are determined
by the Master of the vessel and are based out of explicit operational and
environmental conditions.
• The vessel’s Master and the designated “Ballast Water Management
Officer” are the responsible authorities for the implementation of
the BWM Plan.
The Ballast Water Exchange Methods
• D1 – Exchange: BWE is based on the principle
that organisms and pathogens contained in
ballast water taken on board from coastal
waters will not survive when discharged into
deep oceans or open seas, as these waters
have different temperatures, salinity and
chemical composition.
 The Ballast Water Exchange Methods
1. Sequential method: Here, the ballast water tank is first emptied and then
refilled with replacement ballast water to achieve at least a 95 per cent
volumetric exchange. All of the ballast water in each tank should be
discharged until suction of the pumps is lost and stripping pumps or
eductors should be used if possible, to avoid a situation where organisms
are left in the bottom of the tank, the tank is then refilled with new water.
Emptying of tanks can be done individually or in pairs.
2. Flow-through method: It is a process by which replacement ballast water
is pumped into a ballast tank intended for the carriage of ballast water,
allowing water to flow through overflow or other arrangements in order to
achieve at least 95 per cent volumetric exchange of ballast water. Pumping
through three times the volume of each ballast water tank shall be
considered to meet the standard D-1.
3. Dilution method: is a process by which replacement ballast water is filled
through the top of the ballast tank intended for the carriage of ballast
water with simultaneous discharge from the bottom at the same flow rate
and maintaining a constant level in the tank throughout the ballast
exchange operation.
The Master and crew engaged in ballast water exchange at sea should be educated in
and familiar with the following, as appropriate:
i. The approved vessels loading conditions to be used during ballast water exchange
ii. The vessel’s ballast pumping and piping arrangements, positions of associated air
and sounding pipes, positions of all compartment and tank suction and pipelines
connecting them to the vessel’s ballast pumps and, in the case of use of the flow-
through method of ballast water exchange, the openings used for the release of
water from the top of the tank together with overboard discharge arrangements
iii. The means of confirming that the sounding pipes are clear and that air pipes and
non-return devices are in good order
iv. The distances off the coast required to undertake the various ballast water
exchange operations. This will also include the time required to complete
individual tanks
v. The method/s to be used for ballast water exchange at sea, e.g. Flow-through,
dilution, etc.
vi. The need to incessantly monitor ballast water exchange operations
 D-2- Performance standard for the
ballast water treatment system.
• The D-2 standard specifies the maximum amount of viable organisms
allowed to be discharged, including specified indicator microbes harmful
to human health:
• Ships conducting ballast water management in accordance with this
regulation shall discharge:
• Less than 10 viable organisms per m3 > 50μ in minimum dimension, and
• Less than 10 viable organisms per ml < 50μ and>10μ in minimum
dimension, and
• Less than the following concentrations of indicator microbes:
– Toxicogenic Vibrio cholera less than 1 colony-forming unit (cfu) per
100 ml, or less than 1 cfu per 1 gram zooplankton samples
– Escherichia coli less than 250 cfu per 100 ml
– Intestinal Enterococci less than 100 cfu per 100 ml.
Compliance with the Performance Standard (D-2) is achievable only by use of
a BW treatment system.
In general, treatment systems that comply with the standard D-2 shall be
approved by the Administration.
 End of the topic
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