Full Answer
Are You compliant with ballast water quality standards?
Are you compliant with ballast water quality standards? Accession by Finland triggered ratification of The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM 2004 Convention) and the Regulation will enter into force on 8th September 2017.
How does a ballast water treatment system work?
Ballast Water Treatment. How does it work? During ballasting the ballast water flows through Optimarin’s proprietary filter. The filter removes larger organism and particles and back flushes them overboard at the ballasting location. After passing the filter, the ballast water continues through the UV chamber on its way to the ballast tanks. ...
What are types of ballast water management systems?
DESMI Ocean Guard now presents a line of new and smaller ballast water management systems (BWMS) that completes a full range of BWMS with max flowrates starting from just 35 m3/h going all the way to 2500 m3/hr, with just a single UV unit.
What is ballast water management plan?
The requirement to meet the ballast water management standards shall not apply to:
- the uptake and discharge of ballast water necessary for ensuring the safety of the ship in emergency situations;
- the accidental discharge or ingress of ballast water as a result of damage to the ship or its equipment;
- the uptake or discharge of ballast water for the purpose of avoiding or minimising pollution incidents from the ship;
Is ballast water treatment system mandatory?
Existing ships must meet at least the D-1 (ballast water exchange) standard; they may also choose to install a ballast water management system or otherwise meet the D-2 (discharge) standard but this is not mandatory until the corresponding compliance date.
Why do we need ballast water management?
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.
What is the requirement of ballast water management convention?
Under the Convention, all ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. All ships will also have to carry a ballast water record book and an international ballast water management certificate.
In what year should all ships be required to have an approved ballast water management treatment system according to the D2 standard?
Existing ships, who are subject to the phased implementation schedule, have potentially (depending on the renewal of their ship certificates) until the 8th September 2024, by which time all ships will comply with the D2 standard.
What is the purpose of ballast?
In a fluorescent lighting system, the ballast regulates the current to the lamps and provides sufficient voltage to start the lamps. Without a ballast to limit its current, a fluorescent lamp connected directly to a high voltage power source would rapidly and uncontrollably increase its current draw.
On what type of ship does the ballast water record book apply?
Note: Every ship 400 tons gross tonnage and above carrying water ballast of quantity 8 m3 or greater and engaged in voyages to ports in areas of different jurisdiction, shall be provided with a Ballast Water Record Book.
Which ships are exempt from BWM Convention regulations?
According to Article 3, the BWM Convention applies to all ships including submersibles, floating craft, floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs. It will not apply to: ships not designed to carry ballast water. warships, naval auxiliary ships or other ships owned or operated by a state.
Which vessel does the ballast water management apply to?
Answer: The BWM Convention applies to all ships with ballast water capacity and active in international trade, except ships mentioned in Article 3: a. Ships which are not designed or constructed to carry ballast water.
Why is water used as a ballast?
Since the introduction of steel-hulled vessels, water has been used as ballast to stabilize vessels at sea. Ballast water is pumped in to maintain safe operating conditions throughout a voyage. This practice reduces stress on the hull, provides transverse stability, improves propulsion and manoeuvrability, and compensates for weight changes in ...
Why are ballast water invasive species?
The problem of invasive species in ships’ ballast water is largely due to the expanded trade and traffic volume over the last few decades and, since the volumes of seaborne trade continue to increase, the problem may not yet have reached its peak yet. The effects in many areas of the world have been devastating.
Why is a review required in BWM?
The Convention requires a review to be undertaken in order to determine whether appropriate technologies are available to achieve the standard. MEPC has conducted a number of such reviews and agreed that appropriate technologies are available to achieve the standard contained in regulation D-2 of the BWM Convention.
What is a BWMS malfunction?
3. BWMS not operational. A malfunction of the BWMS due to a technical problem or a ballasting operation carried out outside of the system’s performance (e.g. UV intensity or TRO is too low) results in the treated ballast water to not be compliant with the D-2 standard.
Do ship owners have to contract for BWMS testing?
Instead, ship owners and operators must contract a test facility for testing or request the BWMS manufacturer or shipyard to arrange testing by an independent test facility. Vessel General Permit (VGP) requirements are applicable only for the USCG.
When does a vessel need to perform a ballast water exchange?
Answer: The vessel has the option to carry out ballast water operations either according to the D-1 or D-2 standard until the vessel’s D-2 compliance date. When there is a malfunction of the treatment system , the vessel needs to perform exchange until the ballast water treatment system (BWTS) has been repaired.
What is RSW tank?
The RSW tanks, when used as ballast tanks, can only discharge according to the D-1 (exchange) or D-2 (treatment) standards. When in RSW mode (i.e. containing fish), the tanks are cargo tanks and discharge with regard to the BWM Convention does not need to be considered.
What is BWM Convention?
The BWM Convention applies to all ships with ballast water capacity and active in international trade, except ships mentioned in Article 3: a. Ships which are not designed or constructed to carry ballast water. b.
What regulations do FSUs have to comply with?
Answer: Answer: If the vessel is in international voyage and the BWM Convention is applicable as per Article 3 of the convention, the vessel and also floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs must comply with D-1 (exchange) or D-2 (treatment) regulations.
What is BWM.2/Circ.62?
The IMO has established a generic guidance in BWM.2/Circ.62 for situations where ballast water to be discharged from a ship is determined to be non-compliant. In such cases, communication between the ship and the port state should occur. The ship and the port state should consider the following as possible contingency measures on a case-by-case basis:
What is BWMP in water?
Answer: Answer: The Ballast Water Management Plan (BWMP) is the document that details the procedure for the discharge of ballast water and the handling of sediment in accordance with regulation D-1 (exchange), and/or regulation D-2 (treatment), and regulation B-5 (sediment management).
Is a tanker exempt from BWM?
Tankers operating as Floating Storage Units (FSUs) and Floating and Regasification Units (FSRUs) and similar may be exempted from the BWM operation and construction requirements. The flag administration and the competent shore state determines if they are exempted from compliance with the convention.
What is ballast tank cleaning?
Cleaning regularly ballast tanks to remove sediments, rinsing anchors and chains, and removing fouling from hull and piping, Maintain ing an approved Ballast Water Management Plan , as well as the written records of ballast water movements (uptake, transfer, discharge),
How far from shore can ballast water be exchanged?
Ships must manage their ballast water by following treatment methods and good practices: Performing Ballast Water Treatment, through installation and operation of an approved Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS), Performing Ballast Water Exchange, in specific areas (200 miles from shore),
Can ballast tanks be discharged into US waters?
The final Rules prohibit all vessels with ballast tanks to discharge untreated Ballast Water into US waters.#N#As in the IMO BWM Convention, there is an implementation schedule depending on the ballast water capacity and construction date of the vessel.
What is ballast water management?
In order to minimize the risk associated with the discharge of harmful aquatic invasive species resulting from ballast water transfers, the ballast water management system must be effective under the range of typical vessel operating conditions without negatively impacting the safety of shipboard personnel or the vessel or the environment into which the ballast water is discharged. BWMS must meet international protocols under various environmental conditions, aquatic organisms, flow rates, volumes and retention times. Due to the wide range of factors associated with ballast water treatment, various treatment methods have been developed, or are being developed, for shipboard installation. Type Approval of a system, however, does not ensure that a given system will work on all vessels or in all situations. The provisions in this Section address the supplementary classification requirements that apply when a BWMS is installed on board a vessel.
What is ballast system?
The ballast systems are to provide a reliable means of filling, transferring and draining ballast tanks employing a BWMS through the provisions of redundancy, certification of BWMS pumps and suitable remote control, where fitted.
What is ballast water record book?
Vessels must also have a ship-specific Ballast Water Record Book (Regulation B-2) to record when ballast water is taken on board, circulated or treated for ballast water management purposes, and discharged. It is also used to record when ballast water is discharged to a reception facility and if accidental or other exceptional discharges of ballast water take place.
What is BWT+ notation?
To receive the BWT+ notation, the BWMS installed onboard a vessel shall, in addition to the IMO Member State type-approval, be reviewed and approved by ABS for compliance with the applicable requirements of this Guide, ABS Rules or other recognized standards, and be surveyed by an ABS Surveyor during the manufacture of the system and components. This survey is to include, but is not limited to, material tests, assembly verification and operational testing.
What is BWMS in IMO?
The BWMS installed onboard those vessels receiving the BWT or BWT+ notation is to be a type-approved and certified system in accordance with the testing, approval, and certification processes outlined in the IMO’s “Guidelines for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems (G8)”. These processes are to verify that the treatment system meets the IMO discharge standards (Section 3, Table 1), has no adverse environmental impacts, and is suitable for shipboard applications.
What is a BWM?
In accordance with the Convention, the BWMS installed on board a vessel is to be an IMO Member State type-approved and certified system and the installation of this system must have the prior approval/acceptance of the vessel’s flag Administration. It is recognized that each BWMS is tested, approved and certified in its standard product configuration. However there are design and engineering issues, as well as special considerations relating to the class requirements that will need to be addressed, as every ship is unique due to its design and operational profile.
Why should ballast tanks be designed?
Ballast water tanks and their internal structures should be designed to minimize accumulation of sediments and allow for easy cleaning and maintenance. Design guidance of ballast tanks and other design enhancements given in the G12 Guidelines are to be adhered to as far as practicable.
Biological Testing by Sampling at BWMS Commissioning
de-coupled Iopp and Iopp Re-Coupling at BWMS Commissioning
- During the Convention development process, considerable efforts were made to formulate appropriate standards for ballast water management. They are the ballast water exchange standard and the ballast water performance standard. Ships performing ballast water exchange shall do so with an efficiency of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of ballast water...
BWMS Not Operational
BWM Plan and Contingency Measures
Recommendations
- On a general note, any requirements for IOPP re-coupling by the flag administration are to be considered. If the vessel’s IOPP was de-coupled in 2017, then usually the D-2 standard becomes due 5 years later at the next IOPP renewal in 2021/2022. In case a vessel has a de-coupled IOPP and the BWMS is fitted before the BWM D-2 due date, the IOPP should remain de-coupled until t…
References
- A malfunction of the BWMS due to a technical problem or a ballasting operation carried out outside of the system’s performance (e.g. UV intensity or TRO is too low) results in the treated ballast water to not be compliant with the D-2 standard. To prevent unnecessary downtime in port, as well detentions and financial penalties by the PSC, the following steps shall be taken: 1. The v…
Contact
- DNV GL strongly recommends including a chapter on contingency measures in the BWM Plan (BWMP) with instructions to the crew for what to do in the event of non-compliance. Already for ships sailing under the flag of Singapore and Panama, such a chapter on contingency measures is a flag requirement and must be included in the BWMP. DNV GL has revised the BWMP template …