Class 2 (2nd Engineer) SSEP 📅 Nov 2022

Exam Question

A new instrument by IMO for the Control and Management of ships Ballast Water and sediments' will be in force in the near future. In relation to this discuss the following;

(a) The need for such a convention

(b) What are the options available for treatment of Ballast Water, and the methods being used presently

(d) What is current status of the IMO BWM convention ratification and what is included in the certification and type approval process?

Reference Answer

(a) The need for such a convention
Globally, it is estimated that about 10 billion tonnes of ballast water is transferred each year. The water taken onboard for ballasting may contain aquatic organisms, including dormant stages of microscopic toxic aquatic plants , which can cause harmful algal blooms upon release. Additionally, pathogens such as bacteria have been transported with ballast water.
As ships now travel faster, the survival rate of species carried in ballast tanks has increased. Studies show that many species of bacteria, plants, and animals can survive in ballast water even after journeys lasting several months .
As a result, non-indigenous organisms have often been introduced into new environments, sometimes with disastrous consequences for the local ecosystem , including the destruction of important fish stocks or rare species .

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