Ballast Water and Other Marine Pollutants,

What is Ballast Water?

Fresh or salt water, sometimes

containing sediments, held in tanks
and cargo holds of ships to increase
stability and maneuverability during
transit.
Ballast water discharges by
ships can have a negative
impact on the marine
environment. The discharge of
ballast water and sediments by
ships is governed globally
under the Ballast Water
Management Convention, since
its entry into force in
September 2017. It is also
controlled through national
regulations, which may be
separate from the Convention,
such as in the United States.
Ballast water taken into a tank from one body of
water and discharged in another body of water
can introduce invasive species of aquatic life.
The discharge of water from ballast tanks has
been responsible for the introduction of species
that cause environmental and economic
damage.
.
The International convention for the control and
management of ships' ballast water and
sediments in 2004 tries to deal with this
environmental problem, by regulating the
discharge and charge of ballast water. Boats must
comply with the regulations in effect and change
their ballast water when they sail in high sea. The
exchange should be made by high depth (more
than 2000 meters) so far as possible, during the
day and as far away from the littoral as possible
 Focusing on the
Environment

Exhaust emissions (PM NOx Sox )

Garbage Refrigerants
Fire-fighting agents

Oil
Antifouling paints
Sewage (waste waters)
Ballast water
 Ballast Water Management

The introduction of unwanted aquatic organisms via

ships’ ballast water is an internationally recognised
problem.

The effects these introductions of can have an effect

on human health, cause damage to local marine life
and local economies
 What is the challenge?
Every 9 weeks a Every day, 7000+
new species is species of plants
introduced and animals are
somewhere in the transported in
world ballast

Every year the world’s fleet moves 3 - 5 billion tonnes of

ballast around the world
 Some Species Found in
Ballast Water
Plankton Cholera Asian Sea Squirt & green
alga

Zebra Mussel Mitten Crab

Rainbow Jellyfish
 Why manage ballast water ?
Why have a ballast water convention?

European Zebra mussels cause an estimated $5bn

per year in damages in North America
How does ballast water affect the environment?

Ballast water impacts the environment when

the ballast water is discharged and the organisms
are released into new environments. ... In some
cases there is a high probability that the organism
will become a dominant species, potentially
resulting in:
How is ballast water treated?

This treatment involves heating the ballast water to

reach a temperature that will kill the organisms. A
separate heating system can be utilized to heat
the ballast water in the tanks or the ballast water can
be used to cool the ship's engine, thus disinfecting
the organisms from the heat acquired from the
engine.
The Solution:

International Convention
for the Control
and Management
of Ships’ Ballast Water
Adopted Friday 13 February 2004
 When will the Convention
enter into force?
The convention will enter into force 12 months after at least 30 States, the
combined merchant fleets of which constitute at least 35% of the gross
tonnage of the world’s merchant shipping have ratified the Convention.

As of 1 April 2012 there were 33 ratifications of the Convention representing

26.46 % of the GT of the worlds shipping.

Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Cook Islands, Croatia, Egypt, France, Iran,
Kenya, Kiribati, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands , Mexico, Mongolia,
Montenegro, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Sierra Leone,
South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic , Trinidad & Tobago,Tuvalu