Page 54: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2024)

INSIDE THE SHIP

Image courtesy SGS

It was never going to be realistic to expect treated ballast water to have zero viable organisms on discharge.

BY WENDY LAURSEN he G8 guidelines that de? ne the type approval ent water temperatures. Concern had also been raised about process for ballast water treatment systems were the need to only monitor the effectiveness of the disinfection initially agreed at the IMO before any systems had process for ? ve days. In any case, G8 was only guidance and

Tactually been developed. results could re? ect the individual nature of the test water ob-

The IMO had already been working on the issue of invasive tained near a particular testing house. species being transferred around the world in ballast water for Then the US Coast Guard refused to embrace treatment a couple of decades. It was on the radar back in the 1970s. that rendered organisms permanently non-viable although

At MEPC 31 in 1991, the IMO adopted voluntary guidelines not necessarily dead. This caused OEMs that use UV treat- that focused on non-release of ballast water, ballast water ex- ment to meet two different standards to gain global approval change or discharge into shoreside reception facilities. On- for their systems.

board treatment systems were mentioned as a possibility for Fast forward to MEPC 81 in March this year, six months be- future research. fore all ships have to comply with the D-2 standard (requiring

In the years after the adoption of the Ballast Water Man- treatment rather than just exchange), depending on survey an- agement Convention in 2004, treatment systems grew in type niversary, and the details are still being resolved. After much and number, and over 80 gained type approval. However, G8 discussion and three rounds of votes, text for the interim guid- speci? ed a limited salinity range for testing these systems, and ance for ships ballasting in challenging, high sediment water there were no requirements to test with fresh water or differ- was ? nally approved. 54 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2024

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