Ballast Water Management 15th Edition, 2024

The 15th edition has been fully revised to reflect current requirements in the management of ballast water since ratification of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention).

To assist ship owners with BWM Convention compliance, the book sets out national and international ballast water legislation as well as Port State Control and ship administration requirements.

It includes valuable practical considerations relating to Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) selection, installation/retrofitting, onboard operation (including dealing with challenging water quality), maintenance, monitoring and reporting.

As of 8th September 2024, all ships to which the BWM Convention applies, must comply with the Convention’s ballast water discharge standard (D-2). For most ships, this will involve installing and operating a BWMS on board. This comprehensive publication provides up-to-date guidance on BWM regulations, operations and equipment options. It is a valuable, single-point source of information for ship owners and operators.

In addition, the publication looks in detail at the various treatment systems and technologies, significant components and the implications for onboard operation, maintenance and contingency measures. With the end of the installation window for fitting a BWMS to existing ships, there will be a shift from retrofitting to installing on newbuilds and fulfilling maintenance contracts. However, retrofit experience will remain important as there will be a growing market for fully or partly replacing older (legacy) BWMS or systems that are not operating properly.

The book also provides an extensive set of data sheets on BWMS that have been type approved through the BWM Convention testing procedures. These summarise the treatment technology, type approval certification and system design limitations (SDL), so that ship owners can evaluate different systems and make an informed decision before purchasing. It is particularly important to know the SDL of a BWMS since these are the conditions and parameters under which the system is approved to operate.

The Appendices contain an updated list of IMO Guidance Documents for the BWM Convention. They also describe key invasive species and illustrate native and invasive geographic ranges. A set of technical diagrams is also provided showing an example technical layout of a BWMS.