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Marine Engineers Review (India)

BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT

Q 1. What do you understand by the
term Ballast Water Management on
Q 3. How this transfer of species Control and Management of Ships Ballast
Since the introduction of steel-hulled Water and Sediments (BWM Convention)
vessels ,water has been used as ballast The spread of invasive species is now was adopted by consensus at a Diplomatic
to stabilize, appropriate stress distributon recognized as one of the greatest threats to
of the hull and for propeller immersion of the ecological and the economic well being London on 13 February 2004 The Convention
will require all ships to implement a ballast
to the vessel to maintain safe operating enormous damage to biodiversity and the
valuable natural riches of the earth upon have to carry a Ballast Water Record Book
While ballast water is essential and will be required to carry out ballast
effects are becoming increasingly serious water management procedures to a given
operations, it poses serious ecological,
economic and health problems due given the option to take additional measures
to the multitude of marine species there are hundreds of other serious invasions which are subject to criteria set out in the
inadvertently carried in ships ballast which have been or are in the process of

small invertebrates, eggs, cysts and April 2004, approved a programme for the
Q 4. What action has IMO taken in development of guidelines and procedures
water taken in from one region or area is for uniform implementation of the BWM
pumped out in another part of the world IMO has been at the front of the Convention, The programme was further
,the transferred species may survive to international effort by taking the lead in
establish a reproductive population in the addressing the transfer of invasive aquatic MEPC in July 2005 to develop and so far
host environment, becoming invasive, out- adopt 16 sets of Guidelines, the last one
competing native species and multiplying MEPC adopted the International Guidelines
for preventing the introduction of unwanted
Ballast Water Management on ships aquatic organisms and pathogens from
is required to prevent this ecological ships ballast water and sediment discharges Q5. What is the present Status of
the BWM convention.
Nations Conference on Environment and The BWM Convention will enter into
Q 2. When was this presence of Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro
alien species in coastal sea water in 1992, recognized the issue as a major
Guidelines for the uniform implementation of
In November 1993, the IMO Assembly the BWM Convention and the robust approval
an alien species introduction after a mass
occurrence of the Asian phytoplankton 1991 Guidelines requesting the MEPC and water treatment technologies have removed
algae Odontella (Biddulphia sinensis) in the MSC to keep the Guidelines under review
with a view to developing internationally instrument and a number of additional
countries have indicated their intention to
Organization adopted, in November 1997,
the late 1980s, Canada and Australia were
among countries experiencing particular control and management of ships ballast Q6. What is ballast water
problems with invasive species, and they water to minimize the transfer of harmful
brought their concerns to the attention aquatic organisms and pathogens, inviting its Ballast water treatment is the process
of IMOs Marine Environment Protection Member States to use these new guidelines of treating ballast water in order to actively

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remove, kill and/or inactivate foreign Regulation D-3 of the BWM Convention
requires that ballast water management
require thousands of tons of water to systems used to comply with the Convention
ensure stability and maneuverability, and the must be approved by the Administration
taking into account the Guidelines for
These impacts result from the fact that approval of ballast water management
the ballast water can contain hundreds of
different invasive species, many of which for acceptable levels of marine organisms in
can have serious ecological, economic and ballast water that can be discharged into US water management systems which make
public health effects if transferred to regions use of Active Substances to comply with
the Convention shall be approved by IMO in
these effects has made ballast management currently allows the acceptance of Alternate accordance with the Procedure for approval of
increasingly imp2 Management Systems (AMS) as a temporary ballast water management systems that make
ortant for protection of the marine measure, in order for vessels to continue
environment (G9) consists of a two-tier process Basic
Q 7. Why is Ballast water and Final Approval to ensure that the ballast
water management system does not pose
Every day, an estimated 10,000 marine to manufacture various types unreasonable risk to the environment, human
species are transported around the world of Ballast Water Management
GESAMP to review the proposals
species being transported and discharged During the Convention development submitted for approval of ballast water
into inhabitable waters has called for process, considerable efforts were made to management systems that make use of
formulate appropriate standards for ballast
legislators have reacted by implementing Water Working Group (GESAMP-BWWG)
new regulations to prevent unnecessary water exchange standard ( Regulation reports to the Organization on whether such
D-1) and the more stringent ballast water a proposal presents unreasonable risks in
legislator involvement from both national
and international level, rules and regulations These requirements are being implemented the Procedure for approval of ballast water
have become the primary driver behind the in a phased manner and henceforth only management systems that make use of
the D-2 Regulations will be acceptable after
the Convention comes into force on 8 The Convention requires a review to be
undertaken in order to determine whether
IMO: The International Maritime appropriate technologies are available to
Organization (IMO) launched the Ballast of 95 per cent volumetric exchange of
Water Management Convention (also known ballast water and ships using a ballast a number of such reviews and agreed that
as the International Convention for the water treatment system (BWTS) shall meet appropriate and IMO approved technologies
Control and Management of Ships Ballast a performance standard ( Regulation D-2) are now available to achieve the performance
based on agreed numbers of organisms per standard contained in regulation D-2 of the

QUESTIONS FOR MEO CLASS II AND I STUDENTS

The Institute of Marine Engineers (India) promotes the growth of Marine Engineering through various
channels and avenues. It is our constant endeavor to keep pace with the latest developments in the
Industry.

The IMEI requests members to submit list of questions that are suitable to test the competency of
candidates appearing for their Class II and Class I MEO examinations.

The DG approved syllabus for these exams has been uploaded on the IMEI website (www.imare.in).

Members are requested to send their questions to Director, Training.

Email: Email: director@imare.in

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