Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has published a booklet on standard operational guidance for the planning and management of ships' ballast water and sediments.
The 129-page publication describes safe procedures for handling ballast water in order to comply with international, as well as regional legislation. Special attention is given to ballast water treatment (BWT) procedures and safety issues, as more and more vessels are equipped with treatment systems.
The updated BWT booklet offers guidance to shipowners and operators in developing ballast water management (BWM) plans, GL said.
A BWM plan is a tool, which will help to minimise the risk of transferring unwanted organisms, associated with ballast water discharge, into the environment.
For a BWM plan to be effective, it must be carefully tailored to the particular vessel for which it is intended.
This booklet deals with tailoring a BWM plan to a vessel's particular outfit and capability. It also addresses how to update the plan after a refit with a BWM treatment plant.
It covers different methods of BWE, including sequential, flow-through, dilution method and also BWT. A new section addressing BWT takes into account the needs of vessels, which are already equipped with treatment systems.
Meanwhile, to help shipyards, shipowners, suppliers and recycling facilities in Asia to comply with the forthcoming International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (Hong Kong Convention), GL has placed two well-trained ship recycling experts in China and Singapore
They will offer all stakeholders a full range of services, including certification, consultancy and tailored training.
The Hong Kong Convention, which will probably take effect in 2015, will mean that all new and existing vessels above 500 gt worldwide will have to have an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) certificate on board.
For scrapping, the Hong Kong Convention obligates shipowners to sell their redundant vessels only to recycling facilities that meet relevant standards and have been authorised by the national competent authorities.
Source: Tank Operator. 6 May 2011
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IMO & Marine Surveys Pte Ltd (ShipSurvey) is the leading Marine Survey and Services Ballast water management plan company operating from Singapore and Asia.
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