Ballast water management and their system processing

Abstract

Ballast water provides stability and maneuverability to a ship. Large ships can carry millions of gallons of ballast water. Ballast water discharged by ships can have a negative impact on the marine environment. There are thousands of marine species that may be carried in ships’ ballast water; In order to reduce the risk of new introductions of exotic species, the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments in 2004. This Convention aims ‘to continue the development of safer and more effective Ballast Water Management options that will result in continued prevention, minimization and ultimate elimination of the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens’. To prevent possible invasions, organisms should not be discharged from ballast tanks. This can be achieved by treating the ballast water, for instance by killing organisms that are travelling in the ballast water.