Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2017)

U.S. Navy Quarterly

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Ballast Water Technology

Image: Glosten

Invasive Species

Meets its ‘Silver Bullet’‘Silver Bullet’

BY JOSEPH KEEFE

In the port of Houston, Texas, three medium-sized for the balance of the lifting, a ship-imposed restricted

A new entry to the bal- tankers are berthed adjacent to one another at this loading rate – owing to restricted draft at the berth – sprawling petrochemical complex. The ? rst, a 70,000 kept the vessel at the berth well past its allowed win- last water treatment ton shuttle tanker, is discharging a parcel of Brent Crude dow. The demurrage quickly eats into what had been

Oil. The second, a coastwise product carrier, is taking thought to be pro? table charter party. Slow deballasting promises compliance on a parcel of gasoline destined for the East Coast. And rates, owing to the necessity to ‘retreat’ in-line, is deter- the third, another crude carrier, is also discharging bulk mined to be the culprit.

along with savings in crude oil. All considered quality vessels, operated by Across the channel, crude tanker number one has a reputable and fully vetted owners, only one is experi- different problem. As discharge continues, the intake of both CapEx and OpEx. encing what could be described as a satisfactory port murky, muddy ballast water also impacts its ability to call. For the two poor performers, that’s got nothing get enough ballast on in order to make a speedy depar-

Who says there’s no to do with cargo equipment, and everything to do with ture from the berth once ? nished stripping its tanks. It their newly minted ballast water treatment systems. experiences ballast ? lters that impede the ? ow of water ‘silver bullet’ in the

As the product tanker loads cargo, it struggles to keep into its segregated ballast system. Many hours after ? n-

BWTS game?

up with the delivery volumes from shore. On at least ishing discharge – and not before receiving a raft of Let- one occasion, cargo is interrupted for two hours and ters of Protest for poor performance – it ? nally departs 22 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • JUNE 2017

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