MODEL BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
To meet the recommendations of the
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION
ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION A.868(20)
GUIDELINES FOR THE CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF SHIPS’ BALLAST WATER TO MINIMISE THE TRANSFER OF
HARMFUL AQUATIC ORGANISMS AND PATHOGENS
adopted on 27th November 1997
Published by
International Chamber of Shipping and INTERTANKO
CAUTION
The function of the Ballast Water Management Plan is to assist in complying with quarantine measures intended to minimise the risk of transplanting harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens from ships’ ballast water and associated sediments, while maintaining ship safety.
As part of this function the plan will provide information to quarantine officers who wish to learn about a ship’s ballast handling system, or to confirm that ballast management has been effectively planned.
The plan should not be used or regarded as a guide to ballasting. Training and shipboard operational practices should already be well established.
CONTENTS
Section Page
PART A Ship and operating company guidance
1. Ship particulars
2. Explanation of need for ballast water management, and reporting to port states
3. Ballast water arrangements
4. Safety considerations
5. Procedures for managing ballast water
6. Ballast water sampling points
7. Crew training and familiarisation
8. Duties of appointed ballast water management officer
9. Ballast water reporting form and handling log
PART B National and international guidance
10. IMO Assembly Resolution A.868(20),
11. Existing national ballast water management requirements,
SECTION 1
SHIP PARTICULARS
SHIP’S NAME SHIP TYPE
PORT OF REGISTRY OWNER
INTERNATIONAL CALL SIGN
FLAG GROSS TONNAGE
IMO NUMBER
DIMENSIONS:
TOTAL WATER BALLAST CAPACITY
TOTAL NUMBER OF SEGREGATED BALLAST TANKS ON BOARD
UNITS USED FOR BALLAST MEASUREMENT (cubic metres, long tons)
LIST OF WATER BALLAST TANKS, AND CAPACITY OF EACH
APPOINTED BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT OFFICER
[designation/rank of officer]
OTHER SHIP SPECIFIC INFORMATION CONSIDERED RELEVANT
This plan should be kept available for inspection on request by a port state control officer or by a port state quarantine officer.
SECTION 2
EXPLANATION OF
THE NEED FOR BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT,
AND FOR REPORTING TO PORT STATES
Introduction
Studies carried out in several countries have shown that many species of bacteria, plants and animals can survive in a viable form in the ballast water and sediment carried in ships, even after journeys of several weeks duration. Subsequent discharge of ballast water or sediment into the waters of port states may result in the establishment of colonies of harmful species and pathogens which can seriously upset the existing ecological balance. Although other methods have been identified by which organisms are transferred between geographically separated sea areas, ballast water discharge from ships appears to have been prominent among those identified.
The potential for ballast water discharge to cause harm has been recognised not only by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but also by the World Health Organization which is concerned about the role of ballast water as a medium for the spreading of epidemic disease bacteria.
Requirements
Some states have established controls on the discharge of ships’ ballast water that will minimise the potential for colonisation of their rivers and estuaries by non‑native species. The preferred option is mid-ocean ballast water exchange prior to arrival. Accordingly, the countries most concerned have promulgated advice to ships for ballast management, together with a request for their co-operation in applying the techniques voluntarily. Standard procedures have been developed that will be accepted by quarantine authorities as achieving the level of acceptability desired by the port state.
Conflict with safety
Unless applied carefully some of the measures being urged for ballast management can affect a ship’s safety, either by creating forces within the hull that are greater than the design parameters, or by compromising the stability of the ship. It is because of concern about this that the IMO became involved in what would otherwise be a purely quarantine matter. It has been recognised by governments and the shipping industry that individual countries’ needs should be harmonised with the greater need to ensure the safety of ships, their crews and passengers.
IMO recommends that each ship should be provided with a Ballast Water Management Plan, detailing the way that the ship can comply with any measures demanded by a port state. Once it has been established that the management of ballast is necessary to meet the quarantine requirements of a port state, preparation for it should be treated with the same seriousness as preparation of a cargo plan. All concerned with the operation and safe passage of the ship can thereby be assured that they are both protecting the marine environment and ensuring the safety of the ship and crew.
Summary of records required
To be able to demonstrate at the arrival port that the correct measures have been completed, it will be necessary to maintain a full and accurate ballast log. A suitable outline for such a log is provided in Section 9. Even if a ship is not trading in an area where ballast water information is required, it may later prove worthwhile to have a history of what water has been carried.
Reporting to port states
Several countries have become aware of the potential, through discharge of ships’ ballast water, for the transfer into their coastal areas of what are found to be harmful aquatic organisms. Governments have recognised that, before devising mandatory controls on ships, it is necessary to know the scale of what has, until very recently, been an unrecorded procedure.
Concerned countries have therefore introduced a requirement which, though often differing in detail, generally calls for ships to report in advance, to the national monitoring authority, how much ballast water will be on board on arrival, where it was taken on board, and whether a ballast management procedure has been followed. In most cases it is mandatory to make the report, even though the actual ballast exchange in mid-ocean (or other management procedure) remains voluntary.
To assist in this regard, wherever possible the plan contains the format of the relevant national reporting forms.
The forms can be found in section 11 of this model plan.
When preparing a ballast water management plan for an individual ship, it may be found possible and convenient to pre-format the reporting forms to suit the ship, so that work for the crew is reduced and opportunities for mistakes in basic details are minimised. For instance, all permanent information such as the ship’s name, IMO number, gross tonnage, owner, total ballast capacity, etc., will remain the same for each voyage. Any list of tanks could also be customised to match the ship exactly. Such preparation will ensure that none are missed inadvertently, and will prevent misunderstandings due to personal interpretations.
SECTION 3
BALLAST WATER ARRANGEMENTS
Tank arrangement, and tank capacities
A plan and profile of the ship, or a schematic drawing of the ballast tank arrangement will help a quarantine officer who is unfamiliar with the ship.
DRAWING HERE
A table should be produced, showing the capacity of each tank and the pumps available to be used on that tank. A second table showing the rated capacity of the pumps should be available for reference. Example formats are shown below.
Tank
Capacity
Pumps available
Pump
Rated Capacity
Piping and pumping arrangements
Standard pumping plans of the ballast system, and layout diagrams of the pumproom or ballast control system should be included.
Example ballast arrangements for given conditions
Traditional block diagrams of the vessel showing the ballast arrangements for different conditions are recommended.
SECTION 4
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
The IMO Resolution (reproduced in Section ) includes guidance on safety aspects of ballast water exchange at sea. The safety points outlined below are intended to emphasise that the consequences of an inadvertent error at sea can be more significant than the same error made in port. Ballast water exchange at sea is a comparatively new development, and a sense of familiarity with the mechanics of ballasting should not be allowed to induce complacency in this new procedure.
Conditions in which ballast water exchange at sea is not to be undertaken
SECTION 5
PROCEDURES FOR MANAGING BALLAST WATER
A ballast handling plan for a ballast voyage should be prepared in advance, in a similar manner to the preparation of a cargo plan for a loaded voyage, and with the same degree of thoroughness. This pre‑planning is necessary in order to maintain safety in case compliance with ballast exchange or other ballast water treatment or control options is required.
The safety information in Section 4 should be taken into account when preparing the voyage plan.
This section gives guidance on ballast handling procedures to be followed at sea.
If there are no safe options, either under all circumstances or in certain conditions, the restrictions should be stated here. Such a statement will assist a master when responding to enquiries from a quarantine officer.
INFORMING SHORE MANAGEMENT
SEDIMENT REMOVAL OR REDUCTION
Where practical, cleaning of the ballast tanks to remove sediments should be undertaken.
RETENTION OF BALLAST ON BOARD
WATER TREATMENT
EXCHANGE AT SEA
Sequential Method
The following text may be adapted to suit the company’s preferred terminology and methods. The style and contents of the table must be altered to reflect the requirements of a particular ship.
The following table describes a safe sequence for the exchange of ballast water using the empty-then-refill procedure, known as the sequential method. The process requires the removal of very large weights from the ship in a dynamic situation, and then their replacement. This is a new procedure, and a sense of familiarity with the mechanics of ballasting in port should not be allowed to induce complacency.
The table indicates the status of the ballast water in every tank at the start of each step, and indicates an assum...
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