Ballast Water of ships

The NIOZ test facility for research and certification

of ballast water treatment systems

Ships need ballast water for their safety, stability and manoeuvrability. In this manner, vast volumes of water can be transported between different continents. However, this water is not pure, but it contains a sample of the local ecosystem at the place of intake. At the port of destination, ballast water is pumped overboard again with the living and dead organisms it still contains. The receiving ecosystem is not always well adapted to the reception of newly introduced and previously unknown species. Because of this, they may cause harm to the local ecosystem, human health and the economies.

Cross section of ships showing ballast tanks and ballast water cycle (GloBallast)

In order to reduce the risk of new introductions of non-indigenous species, the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship�s Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004, This is called the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC). The official aim of the BWMC is �to continue the development of safer and more effective Ballast Water Management options that will result in continued prevention, minimization and ultimate elimination of the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens�.

From 2001 onwards NIOZ is involved in the evaluation and certification of ballast water treatment systems, research to assess the effects of the discharged water on the marine environment (in the case of active substances), and the development of the proper test protocols, compliance enforcement and monitoring control by the national port authorities.

The treatment facility

The NIOZ harbour is adjacent to the Marsdiep, the tidal inlet between the North Sea and the Western Wadden Sea. The area has such a rich biodiversity, that in spring and summer the natural plankton assemblage contains sufficiently high numbers of organisms between 10 and 50 �m and organisms > 50 �m for the tests of ballast water treatment systems. The test site is equipped with several tanks of 300m� , which simulate the ballast water tanks of a ship necessary for official land based tests. Samples are taken from the water and taken to the laboratories to examine if and how much organisms have survived the treatment.

Some of the Ballast water tanks at the NIOZ harbour (�NIOZ)

Taking water samples from the discharge water (�NIOZ)

Approval of ballast water treatment systems

During the recent period NIOZ has been collaborating with various national authorities for Type Approval of BWT systems. For systems making use of active substances, NIOZ also does test for Basic and Final Approval. While the actual land-based tests are conducted at the NIOZ harbour, the analysis� are carried out by our own laboratories and sometimes certified third partners.

Further information

For more information about the North Sea Ballast Water Opportunity project, please visit the website.

The entire IMO Ballast Water Management Convention is given on the website of the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH). The maximum numbers of different types of organisms allowed to be present after treatment are stated in regulation D-2 of the BWMC. Ballast water treatment installations that do not use chemicals designated as �active substances� are evaluated according to Guideline G8 (e.g. installations based on filtration plus UV irradiation); those that use active chemicals according to Guideline G9 (e.g. those based on filtration plus (electro-)chlorination).

Contact

For further contact, questions and student opportunities please contact us at info@northseaballast.eu

Project Leader Management and External Relations: Jan Boon

Project Leader Research and Development: Louis Peperzak

The NIOZ team, always ready for action! (�NIOZ)