Why ballast water management

As ships unload their cargo or move around heavy items onboard the vessel, ballast water is typically pumped in or transferred between tanks. When water is then transported to other geographic areas, the discharge of ballast water in other ecological zones may result in the establishment of harmful aquatic organisms creating a detriment to the marine environment. This is globally recognized as a serious threat to the biological diversity and human health in general.

The problem is caused by vessels taking in ballast water in one location and discharging ballast water in a new location. Ballast water from other locations will hold alien bacteria, microbes, small invertebrates, etc. Invasive species carried in ballast water may survive to establish a reproductive population in the new host environment. Alien species risk out-competing native species and they multiply into pest proportions. Ballast water will continue to be an inevitable part of international shipping operations and offshore operations, but the aim of the recent ballast water rules is to limit the impact on marine life by controlling ballast water management.

However, in order to give you a quick overview, we have extracted some of the important elements that you need to act upon see full convention here IMO Please keep in mind that some national governments and even local ports have defined their own ballast water management rules.

Regulations B-3, B-4, D-1 and D-2 define the most significant rules for implementation of the ballast water management convention. Ballast water exchange standards B-4 and D-1 set the standard for ballast water exchange.

The D-1 standard requires an exchange method with efficiency of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of ballast water. The ballast water can be exchanged by sequential flow through or dilution methods. Exchanging ballast water mid-ocean is an intermediate solution until the regulation is fully implemented. Eventually most vessels and mobile units will need to install an on-board ballast water treatment system. Eventually, all ships will have to conform to the D-2 standard.

For most ships, this involves installing special equipment to treat the ballast water. In essence, the schedule for implementation which has been agreed by the MEPC means that compliance with the D-2 standard will be phased in over time for individual ships, up to 8 September Over time, more and more ships will be compliant with the D-2 standard.

See the infographic. The ship should meet the D-2 standard at a date determined by its flag State, but not later than 8 September The difference is that D-1 relates to ballast water exchange, while D-2 specifies the maximum amount of viable organisms allowed to be discharged, including specified indicator microbes harmful to human health.

D-2 standard - The D-2 standard specifies that ships can only discharge ballast water that meets the following criteria:. However, the time required to analyse the samples shall not be used as a basis for unduly delaying the operation, movement or departure of the ship.

Regulation D-3 of the Convention covers approval requirements for ballast water management systems. Ballast water management systems must be approved by the Administration taking into account IMO Guidelines.

Revised Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems G8 were adopted in and have now been reworked as a draft mandatory Code for approval of ballast water management systems BWMS Code , expected to be adopted by MEPC 72 in April The BWMS Code includes robust test and performance specifications as well as detailed requirements for type approval reporting and control and monitoring equipment. Ballast water management systems which make use of Active Substances or preparations containing one or more Active Substances must in addition be approved by IMO, in accordance with the Procedure for approval of ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances G9.

Entry into force of the treaty was dependent on enough ratifications by States. The convention requires either D-1 or D-2 standard after entry into force. D-1 can be employed. If a BWM System is installed, then approved technical documentation for the BW treatment system installation must be available on board. As trade routes continue to expand and new routes open such as through the Arctic, the risk of invasive non-native species being transported through ballast remains a big concern.

Examples of species transported in ballast water include the Chinese mitten crab and the Quagga mussel, the latter, in particular, altering entire ecosystems where it establishes.

Once marine or brackish species establish, they are nigh on impossible to eradicate: options tend to be either spending huge amounts of money in eradication or management, or standing by and watching as they destroy our native biota.

As such, ballast water management — as laid out in the convention — offers a better solution, by helping us to prevent the arrival of such species into our ports and marinas in the first place. The Ballast Water Management Convention requires all ships to implement a ballast water management plan.