Characterization of Rio de Janeiro Port in Terms of Ballast Water

Abstract

This article discusses the characterization of Rio de Janeiro Port (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in terms of ballast water between October 2005 and December 2006. Two instruments were applied: (a) the “Ballast Water Reporting Form” and (b) the spreadsheet “Ballast Water Estimates from Port Recorders.” A variant of the second method was also used. An analysis of the most frequent routes and observations of the ballast exchange at sea were also associated with this information. In conclusion, it was found that the total volume of deballast was around 870,000 m3, the main “donors” being the ports in northeast Brazil and their tanker ships. In relation to the procedure of ballast water exchange at sea, it was found that this always occurs with vessels from overseas ports. Around 2 million cubic meters and 4 million cubic meters were estimated in the spreadsheet. In the first case, vessels whose destination were private terminals were not included, and in the second case, these were included. Although the values do not coincide, analyses from the data from ship manifests and clearance forms prove to be coherent and proportionally similar.