Ballast Water Treatment System For Onboard Ship
Ballast Water Treatment System For Onboard Ship
Ballast Water Treatment System For Onboard Ship
February 2017
White paper
Table of contents
1. Introduction 3 5. Selecting a ballast watertreatment system 11
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 2
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MDD00608EN 1702
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Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 3
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
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Ballast water treatment The USCG Final Rule requires affected vessels to
Regulation B-3 of the BWM Convention requires all have approved ballast water treatment systems by a
vessels – regardless of construction year and ballast specific compliance date (see table). Until this time,
water capacity – to be equipped with a type-approved they must perform ballast water exchange in an area
ballast water treatment system by the date of their 200 nautical miles from any shore prior to discharging
first IOPP renewal survey after 8 September 2017. ballast water.
Until this dry docking, they must comply by means
of ballast water exchange. Approved options for ballast water treatment
Two types of ballast water treatment systems can be
To receive IMO type approval, treatment systems used to comply with the USCG Final Rule:
must meet the discharge criteria concerning viable
organisms and concentrations of indicator microbes • Systems with USCG type approval
established in Regulation D-2 of the BWM Convention The USCG type approval process is stricter and
(see 3.1). The type approval procedure itself is more rigorous than that of IMO. It is defined by
defined in Regulation D-3 and clarified in IMO Title 46 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations
technical guidelines. Part 162 and includes land-based testing according
to the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
2.2. The USCG Final Rule protocol of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (U.S. EPA). Existing systems with IMO type
In March 2012, the USCG published its Standards for approval may fail to meet USCG type approval
Living Organisms in Ship’s Ballast Water Discharged requirements, and will therefore require retesting
in U.S. Waters. Commonly referred to as the USCG or redesign.
Final Rule, the legislation went into effect in June 2012. • Alternate Management Systems
Certain treatment systems with type approval from
The USCG Final Rule applies to nearly all vessels that authorities outside the United States have been
discharge ballast into United States waters. A number of approved as Alternate Management Systems
vessel types are explicitly exempted, however, including: (AMS). These systems may be used for up to five
years after the vessel’s compliance date or
• Crude oil tankers engaged in coastwise service
extended compliance date.
• Vessels operating exclusively within one Captain
of the Port Zone
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 4
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 5
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
The USCG type approval process, by contrast, Reporting and inspection in United States waters
defines organisms simply as living or dead. At The USCG Final Rule requires ballast water reporting
present, CMFDA/FDA staining is the only approved and recordkeeping via one of two means: the Ballast
method for determining these two states. There is, Water Management Report (BWMR) form or the
however, an ongoing discussion about the most Equivalent Reporting Program.
probable number (MPN) dilution-culture method as
a possible basis for USCG type approval. Already A BWMR form must be submitted in conjunction with
employed and accepted for IMO certification, the arrival in United States waters. This must be done no
MPN method would also account for organisms that later than 6 hours after arrival, or at least 24 hours
are rendered unable to reproduce. before arrival for vessels travelling to the Great Lakes
or the Hudson River from outside the U.S. Exclusive
Vessel General Permit (VGP) limits Economic Zone (EEZ). Signed reports must be
Vessels sailing in United States waters must adhere retained for at least two years. Further information
not only to the ballast water discharge standards and instructions on using the BWMR form can be
of the USCG Final Rule, but also to the specific found at http://invasions.si.edu/nbic/submit.html
limitations of the U.S. EPA Vessel General Permit
(VGP). More information on VGP requirements can be To take part in the Equivalent Reporting Program, the
found at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels-vgp applicant vessel must be non-seagoing and operate
solely within the U.S. EEZ or Canadian equivalent.
3.2. Demonstrating compliance Additional requirements, restrictions and information
for this programme are available at http://invasions.
Documentation and inspections of the ballast water si.edu/nbic/equivalentprogram.html
treatment system, as well as sampling of the ballast
water discharge, are necessary to verify compliance. In accordance with VGP legislation, vessels must also
Specific procedures exist for both the BWM perform the following routine procedures for the
Convention and the USCG Final Rule. ballast water treatment system:
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 6
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
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Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 7
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
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The use of chemicals can also present physical Total residual oxidants
challenges, such as increased corrosion risk or Total residual oxidants (TRO) are the active
changes in tank coatings. In addition, both holding substances left by ballast water treatment systems
time and total residual oxidants should be that make use of oxidants, such as electrochlorination
considered. systems. TRO levels decrease with holding time as
oxidants are consumed, but must be not greater than
Holding time 0.1 mg/L at discharge according to legislation. If they
Holding time is the necessary interval between exceed this limit prior to deballasting, additional post-
ballasting and deballasting to ensure effective treatment is needed to neutralize the remaining TRO.
treatment, which must be specified during type
approval. Normally around 24 hours, the holding time
of some chemical systems can be as much as five
days. Such systems may be unsuitable for vessels
that ballast and deballast frequently.
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 8
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 9
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 10
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 11
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 12
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 13
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 14
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 15
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 16
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702
White paper
8. Further reading
This white paper is only an overview of the key issues
in ballast water management. Greater depth and
additional guidance in selecting a ballast water
treatment system are readily available. Making sense of ballast water management
A guide to international ballast water regulations and compliance alternatives
Alfa Laval is a trademark registered and owned by Alfa Laval Corporate AB. 17
Alfa Laval reserves the right to change specifications without prior notification.
MDD00608EN 1702