INTERNATIONAL

MARITIME CONVENTION
Ballast Water Management

Group 8
M/3CL CHENGAY, JAN BURKMAR
M/3CL DADUYA, RITZMOND
M/3CL ACOSTA, JUNE NERIE
 Ballast is defined as any solid or liquid that is brought in order to increase the stability of a
vessel. 
 Ballasting is very essential to a ship that is carrying heavy loads in one hold and its other hold is
lighter, or when the ship is empty or facing rough seas.
 In the 80s, ships used solid ballast materials such as rocks and sand, which had to be manually
shoveled into cargo holds, and similarly discharged when cargo was to be loaded on board.
 Unfortunately, if not properly secured, solid ballast is prone to shifting in high seas causing
instability. With the introduction of steel-hulled ships and pumping technology, water became the
ballast of choice.

BALLAST WATER
 Water can be easily pumped in and out of ballast tanks and requires less manpower. When ships need
ballast, water is pumped from the sea where the ship is located into the ships’ ballast water tanks,
which adds weight to key parts of the ship.
 Ballast water is discharged at sea when it is no longer needed or when the weight of the ship needs to
be lightened, but on a proper disposal of the water.
 Today, ocean going vessels have ballast tanks incorporated into their design. The number and size of
ballast tanks varies according to a ship’s type and design. 
 Most ships are equipped with a range of ballast capabilities and capacities, but generally ballast
equates to 25-30% of a ship’s dead weight tonnage.

BALLAST WATER
 Since the introduction of steel-hulled vessels, water has been used as ballast to
stabilize vessels at sea.
 Ballast water is needed from ships that do not have a cargo, it is to maintain
safe operating conditions throughout long voyages.
 This practice reduces stress on the hull, provides transverse stability, improves
propulsion and maneuverability, and compensates for weight changes in
various cargo load levels and due to fuel and water consumption.

BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT

 The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships'
Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention), entered into force
globally on 8 September 2017.

BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT

INVASIVE AQUATIC SPECIES
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1. GREEN CRAB (CARCINUS MAENAS) 

 It is a predator of many forms of shore life, including worms and
mollusks. In some areas, the crab’s voracious appetite has affected the
commercial shellfish industry.
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2. KILLER ALGAE (CAULERPA

TAXIFOLIA)
A strain of this green seaweed, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, has
escaped public and private aquariums in California, Japan, Australia, and
Monaco. It has spread widely in the Mediterranean, replacing native plants
and depriving marine life of food and habitat. In California, it was
eradicated at considerable cost using toxic chemicals. 
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3. SEA WALNUT (MNEMIOPSIS

LEIDYI) 
This ctenophore (a stingless jellyfish-like animal) is native to the east
coast of North and South America. In 1982, it was discovered in the
Black Sea, where it was transported by ballast water. It subsequently
spread to the Caspian Sea.
In both places, it multiplied and formed immense populations.
The sea walnuts contributed to the collapse of local fisheries because
they feed on zooplankton that the commercial fish also consume.
4. VEINED RAPA WHELK (RAPANA
VENOSA) 
A large marine snail with a beautiful shell, Rapana venosa is native to the
northwest Pacific, from Vladivostok, Russia to Hong Kong. In 1946 it
was discovered in the Black Sea and later spread to the Mediterranean
Sea.
In 1998, it was found in the Chesapeake Bay where it was probably
transported in the ballast water of ships. It is also established in
European coastal waters from Norway to Spain, and in the Rio de la
Plata estuary in South America.
This animal, a predator on bivalve mollusks, severely reduced shellfish
in the Black Sea, but is now fished and sold to Asian countries as food.
Its role as a predator in the Chesapeake Bay is being studied, and it is
expected to colonize other parts of the east coast.
5. ZEBRA MUSSEL (DREISSENA
POLYMORPHA)
This bivalve mollusk is native to the Caspian Sea, lagoons of the Black
Sea and their inflowing rivers. It lives in fresh and brackish water and
cannot tolerate full seawater.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, it spread through European canals,
reaching the Baltic Sea and many European river estuaries. In 1998, it
was discovered in the Great Lakes and has since spread to many rivers
and lakes in eastern and central North America. 
The mollusk has fouled power plants, water purification facilities, ships,
and littered beaches with decaying mussels and sharp shells.
Large populations have devoured plankton and decreased the food
available for commercial and game fish.
 The Convention aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms
from one region to another and halt damage to the marine environment
from ballast water discharge, by minimizing the uptake and subsequent
discharge of sediments and organisms.

AIM OF BWM CONVENTION

 The purpose of the Ballast Water Management System is to minimize the
transfer of Non-indigenous harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens from
one area to another (arrival port) through the ship's ballast water system.
 Invasive marine species are one of the four greatest threats to the world's
oceans.

BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT

 The BWM Convention includes two performance standards for the discharge
of ballast water: D1 and D2.
 The D1 standard concerns ballast water exchange, which must be undertaken
within open ocean areas, >200nm from land and in seas >200m deep.
 The D2 standard covers approved ballast water treatment systems.

2 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS OF
BWM
 The BWM Convention stipulated that it would enter into force 12 months after
ratification by a minimum of 30 States, representing 35% of world merchant
shipping tonnage. Those criteria were reached on 8 September 2016, hence the
entry into force on 8 September 2017.

 As at September 2017, the treaty has been ratified by more than 60 countries,
representing more than 70% of world merchant shipping tonnage.

TREATY SIGNAGE OF COUNTRIES

 ballast water management plan
 ballast water record book
 International Ballast Water Management Certificate

WHAT DO SHIPS NEED TO DO, NOW

THE TREATY IS IN FORCE?
 http://shipsbusiness.com/pollution-by-ballast-water.html#:~:text=The%20purp
ose%20of%20the%20Ballast,the%20ship's%20ballast%20water%20system
.
 https://
www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/Pages/BallastWaterManagement.aspx
 https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/BWM-default.aspx
 https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Implementing-the-BW
M-Convention.aspx#:~:text=The%20International%20Convention%20for%20
the,globally%20on%208%20September%202017
.

REFERENCES
 https://www.abpmer.co.uk/blog/ballast-water-management-convention-ratified
/#:~:text=The%20BWM%20Convention%20includes%20two,approved%20ba
llast%20water%20treatment%20systems
.
 https://
www.dnv.com/maritime/ballast-water-management/frequently-asked-questions
.html
 https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/5-invasive-species-you-should-know
 https://hansbuch.dk/marine/news/ballast-water-impacts
 https://clearseas.org/en/blog/importance-ballast-water-management/#:~:text=B
allast%20water%20is%20essential%20for,and%20in%20a%20stable%20cond
ition
.

REFERENCES