With the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention 2004 getting closer to ratification, ship owners will be starting to think about how they meet the new requirements for ballast water treatment. V.Group created an explanatory infographic which illustrates what is being included in the ballast water
Since the introduction of steel hulled ships over 120 years ago, ballast water has been used in ships’ ballast tanks to improve stability at sea. SeaTec Engineering, part of V.Group’s marine technical division, has been following developments for some years and offer clients access to a full range of services from procurement through to the vitally important crew training.
With three to five billion tonnes of ballast water transferred internationally each year, ships picking up ballast water also pick up local animals, plants and bacteria that live in the water. When a non-native organism is released from a ship’s ballast water into coastal waters, it can become an ecological pest, destabilizing the whole local marine eco system.
While future ship designs may reduce the dependence on ballast water, 90 per cent of the world’s commodities are moved by ship and those vessels have a need to meet the future requirements of the new Convention when it comes into force.
Please click below to view V.Group Infographic
Source: V Group
