the IHS Ballast Water Guide - RWO Marine Water Technology

IHS Fairplay Solutions Guide to Ballast Water Treatment Systems Sponsored by
Implementing a system
Twenty-three suppliers have gained
type approval for their systems so far,
which therefore can be sold commercially.
The systems include Alfa Laval with its
PureBallast, Hamman with SEDNA (but
with production currently suspended),
Hitachi with ClearBallast, Hyde Marine’s
Guardian, NEI Treatment Systems with
VOS, Nutech 03 with BlueBallast,
OceanSaver (Mark I version) with its
namesake system, OptiMarin with OBS,
RWO with its CleanBallast system,
Techcross with Electro-Cleen, Panasia
with GloEn-Patrol, and Wilhelmsen with
Unitor (at present this has been withdrawn
from the market).
Last year Balclor’s BWTS, COSCO with Blue
Ocean Shield, JFE with BallastAce, Mahle with
its Ocean Protection System, 21st Century
with ARA Ballast and Wuxi Brightsky with
its BSKY system were also type approved.
Hyundai HI with HiBallast, Samsung HI with
its Purimar system and Severn Trent de Nora
with Balpure were approved in July 2011.
The Ecochlor system received type approval
at Europort in November last year from the
German national authority, Federal Maritime
and Hydrographic Agency (BSH).
Oceansaver’s Mark II system was approved
in January 2012. More than 45 systems
are in development, and there is no lack of
newcomers ready to join the movement.
When implementing a ballast water
treatment system a great deal of planning is
essential and searching questions should be
asked before choosing a system for a particular
vessel or fl eet. These considerations are
intended to streamline the compliance process
and cut down on costs.
In a newbuilding, the shipowner has the
opportunity to choose the treatment system
best suited to the vessel type and size, to its
service or trade route, and to the owner’s
operational preferences. The system can
be designed in from the start, whereas in a
retrofi t choices may be constrained by existing
onboard systems and the space available.
Owners, particularly those with multiple
vessel types in their fl eet, would be well
advised to consider their options sooner
rather than later and investigate costs,
including bulk purchases. The other aspect
of being well prepared is planning for
installation during a scheduled drydocking
when trained technicians will be available.
Compliance with the BWM
Convention and regulations
All ships must nominate an offi cer
responsible for ballast water management
and because every voyage is diff erent, a
vessel must have a ballast water management
plan (in English, French or Spanish) that
enables a unique procedure to be specifi ed
for each voyage, based on the weight and
volume of cargo and fuel.
The BWM plan provides requisite
information to port state control as the ship
approaches its territorial waters, in accordance
with IMO regulation B1. It should be agreed
between the master and the company’s head
offi ce, and contain ship’s particulars, drawings
of the vessel’s ballast system, diagrams of
ballast water sampling points, operations
of the onboard BWMS, and procedures for
sediment control and disposal. The plan
defi nes reporting procedures and operational
and safety procedures, and it also contains
details of the required training for the crew.
All ballast water-related activities are
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