Ballast Water Treatment Systems Research Articles

CMOS based image cytometry for detection of phytoplankton in ballast water.

We introduce an image cytometer (I-CYT) for the analysis of phytoplankton in fresh and marine water environments. A linear quantification of cell numbers was observed covering several orders of magnitude using cultures of Tetraselmis and Nannochloropsis measured by autofluorescence in a laboratory environment. We assessed the functionality of the system outside the laboratory by phytoplankton quantification of samples taken from a marine water environment (Dutch Wadden Sea, The Netherlands) and a fresh water environment (Lake Ijssel, The Netherlands). The I-CYT was also employed to study the effects of two ballast water treatment systems (BWTS), based on chlorine electrolysis and UV sterilization, with the analysis including the vitality of the phytoplankton. For comparative study and benchmarking of the I-CYT, a standard flow cytometer was used. Our results prove a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 cells/ml with an accuracy between 0.7 and 0.5 log, and a correlation of 88.29% in quantification and 96.21% in vitality, with respect to the flow cytometry results.

Onshore Reception Facilities for ballast water

This paper completes an exploration analysis of onshore ballast water treatment alternatives at major ports. e authors had presented results for option (1) ballast water treatment onshore installed in two iron ore ports in 2012 applying the discrete events simulation model. Now, two more options are presented: (2) mobile and (3) desalination reception facilities. e previous simulation model developed called TRANSBALLAST, was adapted to consider these two new alternatives. is model was applied to the same ports presented in 2012 and this evaluation also includes one more port with 50 million tons annually (Mta) of iron ore transport capacity. e results uncovered that for (2) there is an increase of 1.90 days on the average waiting time of ships that moored at Port 1. In (3), the average waiting time and berth occupation rates were observed to remain the same presented in (1). One of the major differences between the systems consists in catching sea water to increase the desalination plant operational capacity. Among those three onshore ballast water treatment alternatives, (2) does not impact port terminals infrastructure. Additionally, option (2) could be offered to ports users as a ballast water treatment service and ship-owners might not need any onboard ballast water treatment system. (3) Might be feasible to ports regions without enough water supplies solving two issues: transfer of invasive species from ballast water and water recycling.

Pioneering patterns of ballast treatment in the emerging era of marine vector management

Human-mediated transfer and invasions of organisms have permanently altered distribution patterns on a global scale. In response to growing numbers and impacts of invasions, global-scale vector management is advancing to curtail unintentional and unwanted species re-distributions. In marine systems, ocean-going ships have been the major dispersal mechanism across biogeographic barriers, and maritime vector management has become a priority global initiative, including national regulations and recent ratification of an international convention to manage ballast water. This paper provides the first analysis of the pioneering patterns of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) on board commercial ships, using vessel arrivals to the United States as a model system. Over an opening 28-month period, >200 unique vessels arriving to the U.S. reported BWTS operations, using 58 different systems to treat 4.42 millionm3 of discharged ballast water. Although this volume represents <2% of all ballast water discharged in the U.S. per month during this period, there was substantial growth in treated ballast discharge throughout this time. Through 2015, ‘Filtration+UV’ systems were the most common BWTS type installed across all ship types. Currently, BWTSs occur on higher numbers of tankers and bulkers, but a higher proportion of passenger vessels, than other ship types. If BWTSs meet the required discharge standards as intended, this will cause a steep reduction in total discharge of organisms ≥50µm compared to current practices. While several hurdles in fleet-wide BWTS adoption remain, including the timeline for BWTS installation across the global fleet, we are at a significant milestone in the history and evolution of global shipping, which is undergoing wholesale transition to a new and more effective global-scale ballast vector management strategy.

현존선에 선박 평형수 처리장치를 설치를 위한 위험도 평가 분석

현존선에 선박 평형수 처리장치를 설치를 위한 위험도 평가 분석

Technique selection and evaluation of ballast water management methods under an intuitionistic fuzzy environment: An information axiom approach

A recent survey showed the reluctance of ship-owners to install ballast water treatment systems onboard their ships. This raised a question on the acceptability of shipboard management of ballast water and the need to investigate the potential of non-shipboard alternatives to managing the menace of invasive species transfer via ships’ ballast water. The aim of this article is to investigate the viability of both shipboard and onshore-based concepts of ballast water management with respect to the evaluation criteria stipulated in the Ballast Water Management Convention of the International Maritime Organization. To achieve that, an appropriate decision-making technique was selected using a robust procedure; this is critical in the evaluation and ultimate selection of an appropriate ballast water management method. A multi-criteria decision-making technique known as intuitionistic fuzzy multi-attribute axiomatic design which is a hybridized extension of fuzzy axiomatic design was employed for the selection process. The eventual selected technique was used to evaluate the ballast water management options based on the linguistic data collected from an interview with ballast water management experts. The novel applications of intuitionistic fuzzy multi-attribute axiomatic design in this article for technique selection and subsequently for ballast water management methods’ evaluation exemplify not only the versatility of the technique as a decision-making tool but also showed a strong paradigm shift in experts’ opinions about the future of ballast water management beyond just the traditional shipboard system.

Instalacje do odbioru statkowych wód balastowych i osadów – przeciwdziałanie szkodliwym organizmom morskim i patogenom w portach bałtyckich

Shipping is regarded as a main factor for the accidental introductions of non-indigenous aquatic organisms. Therefore, in 2004 the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted by the IMO. To facilitate global and uniform implementation of the Convention, a number of guidelines have been developed. The Guidelines G1 concerns sediment reception facilities, which according to the Convention, should be provided by the parties of the Convention. The Guidelines G5 refers to the ballast water reception facilities, which parties of the Convention are not obligated to provide. Within the Baltic Sea region the ballast water reception facilities may appear to be relevant. The Baltic Sea does not meet the depth and distance from the shore requirements posed by the Regulation B-4 of the Convention. Moreover, the designation of the special areas, where the ship may conduct the ballast water exchange, in the Baltic Sea region, taking into account the Guidelines G14, may not be possible, because it might increase the risk of species introductions to nearby coasts. Therefore, by the time of the complete introduction of the onboard ballast water treatment systems, the ballast water reception facilities may be needed in the Baltic ports.

선박평형수 처리장치의 Scale-up을 위한 조건 최적화 연구

선박평형수 처리장치의 Scale-up을 위한 조건 최적화 연구

Regrowth in ship's ballast water tanks: Think again!

With the imminent ratification of the International Maritime Organisation's Ballast Water Management Convention, ship owners and operators will have to choose among a myriad of different Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) and technologies to comply with established discharge standards. However, it has come to our attention that decision-makers seem to be unaware of the problem of regrowth occurring in ballast water tanks after treatment. Furthermore, the information available on the subject in the literature is surprisingly and unfortunately very limited. Herein we summarise previous research findings that suggest that regrowth of bacteria and phytoplankton could occur 18h to 7days and 4 to 20days after treatment, respectively. By highlighting the problem of regrowth, we would like to encourage scientists and engineers to further investigate this issue and to urge ship owners and ship operators to inform themselves on the risks of regrowth associated with the implementation of different BWTS.

Shipboard Ballast Water Treatment Systems on Seagoing Ships

This review paper summarizes the legislative framework and the available technologies for ballast water treatment with regard to the approval process and relevant issues. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) sets the limits of organism concentration in ballast water allowed to be discharged into the sea. The 2004 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments is the first international document that introduced obligatory ballast water management and control. Even though ballast water treatment systems are not 100 % effective, they significantly reduce the risk of spreading of invasive species through ballast water exchange. An increased manufacturer interest in the system’s approval or development of new technologies is not expected in future because the procedure is time-consuming and expensive. The final choice of optimal ballast water treatment system depends on the ship owner or operator taking into account the price, type of the ship, whether it is a newbuilding or an existing ship, ballast system capacity and the seas where ships ply as well as harbours at which they call.

Apply Optimarin Ballast System for Vietnam’s Fleet to Prevent Sea Pollution from Non-Indigenous Aquatic Species

Marine species are usually transported from one area to another by the ballast water used to provide safe operation for vessels. After entering a new environment, they may cause damage to the local ecosystem, leading to the disruptions of the entire marine ecosystem, and seriously affecting not only biodiversity but also several industries such as fishing and aquaculture. Therefore, the United Nations (UN) considers the presence of non-indigenous oceanic species to be one of the top four serious threats to the global environment; and, how to effectively control the non-indigenous aquatic species has captivated the special attentions of several scientists worldwide. With the significant development in the maritime industry, strict requirements the control and management of ships’ ballast water and sediments set by The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) have well shaped the trend in installing ballast water treatment systems. Among them, Optimarin Ballast System is preferably used in practice. However, currently, Vietnam’s fleets use a different chemical method which is not utilized elsewhere in the world. Because it is not environmentally friendly and its effectiveness hasn’t been validated yet, this paper suggests the application of OBS in the Vietnam’s fleet in order to prevent sea pollution from non-indigenous aquatic species and minimize its associated negative impacts as well as make the Vietnam’s fleet comply with IMO requirements in protecting the global environment for sustainable development.

USCG phase-II 선박평형수 처리장치 성능 평가에 대비한 해양식물플랑크톤 네트 농축효율 비교

본 연구에서는 USCG Phase-II 형식승인을 대비하여 <TEX>${\geq}10{\mu}m$</TEX> 와 <TEX>${\leq}5{\mu}m$</TEX> 크기 식물플랑크톤의 생물군에 관해서 네트를 이용한 생물농축 방법 및 농축효율을 비교하고자 하였다. 생물 농축 효율의 비교는 네트 망목 사이즈(<TEX>$5{\mu}m$</TEX>, <TEX>$7{\mu}m$</TEX>)의 차이, 펌프 이용를 이용한 연속적인 시료 공급 방법과 핸드비이커 이용한 불연속적인 시료공급의 차이, 자연해수의 용량에 따른 차이 등을 종합적으로 검토하였다. 각 실험군 간의 차이를 t-test로 검증한 결과, <TEX>$5{\mu}m$</TEX>와 <TEX>$7{\mu}m$</TEX>망목에 의한 차이는 유의하게 나타나지 않았고(p>0.05), 자연해수 용량에 따른 생물농축효율의 차이도 명확하지 않았다(p>0.05). 하지만 펌프에 의한 연속적인 시료 공급은 핸드비이커의 불연속적인 시료보다 통계적으로 유의하게 생물 농축효율이 높게 나타났다(t-test: t:-4.058, p<0.05). 특히 네트 농축 실험 시 출현한 식물플랑크톤의 군집조성은 규조류 17종, 와편모조류 15종, 유글레나조류 1종, 착편모조류 2종과 함께 미동정 편모조류로 총 36종이였고, 우점종으로는 Pseudo-nitzschia spp.로 관찰되었다. 여기서, 모든 실험군에서 생물 농축 효율이 20-25% 전후로 균일하게 낮게 나타난 것이 특이적 이였고, 그 이유로는 우점종인 Pseudo-nitzschia spp.의 한 편의 사이즈가 <TEX>$3-8{\mu}m$</TEX>로 네트 망목을 통과하여 손실된 결과로 판단되었다. 결과적으로 네트의 농축은 자연 식물플랑크톤 군집에서 출현한 종의 사이즈에 의존한다는 것을 확인할 수 있었고, 이는 USCG Phase-II 의 형식 승인 선박평형수 처리 장치(BWTS: Ballast Water Treatment System) 통과 후 생물농축과정에서 종 특이적인 사이즈의 분포 양상을 충분하게 검토하여 농축 용량을 조절할 필요가 있을 것으로 생각된다. To provide a type approval test for Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) of United States Coast Guard (USCG) Phase-II, this study examined the concentrating efficiency of nets for <TEX>${\geq}10{\mu}m$</TEX> and <TEX>${\leq}50{\mu}m$</TEX> sized phytoplanktonic organisms using different mesh sized nets (<TEX>$5{\mu}m$</TEX> or <TEX>$7{\mu}m$</TEX>), different injection methods (hand breaker as semi-continuous assessment or pump as continuous assessment), and different filterability for the water volume. As a result of the t-test, the net concentrated efficiency between <TEX>$5{\mu}m$</TEX> and <TEX>$7{\mu}m$</TEX> mesh size was not significant (p > 0.05). The difference in the net concentrated efficiency for filtered natural water volume was not significant (p > 0.05). On the other hand, the Chl.a concentration in the continuous water injection method was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of semi-continuous water injection (t-test: t: -4.058). In the natural phytoplankton community, a total of 36 species were identified, including Bacillariophyta (17 species), Dinophyta (15 species), Euglenophyta (1 species), Dictyochophyta (2 species), and unidentified taxa (1 species). Among them, diatom Pseudo-nitzchia spp. was remarkably dominant. In particular, the net concentrated efficiency in all assessments was underestimated to be approximately 20-25%, which was caused by the small size Pseudo-nitzchia spp.. A width size of these genus might have passed through the <TEX>$5{\mu}m$</TEX> or <TEX>$7{\mu}m$</TEX> mesh size of the net. Therefore, net concentrated efficiency is dependent on the size of the observed species in natural water. This issue should be considered when determining the net volume for the type approval test of BWTS.

USCG phase-II 선박평형수 처리장치 성능 평가를 위한 자연 해수의 동물플랑크톤 대량 확보 및 생사판별

USCG Phase-II 규정에 근거한 형식승인 시험은 전체 시험수에서 자연상태 생물군집이 75% 이상을 차지해야만 하며, 이러한 기준을 충족하기 위해 장목만과 마산만에서 Bongo네트를 이용해서 자연 해수의 동물플랑크톤 군집을 채집하였다. 장목만과 마산만에서 1톤으로 생물을 농축하였을 경우, 동물플랑크톤의 현존량은 각각<TEX>$1.8{\times}10^7ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX>과 <TEX>$2.3{\times}10{\times}10^7ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX>으로 나타났고, 살아 있는 생물 비율은 장목만이 82.6%로 마산만의 80.1%보다 약간 높게 나타났다. 특히 두 해역에서 동계에 출현한 동물플랑크톤의 군집조성은 유사하였고, 요각류 Acartia 속의 성체과 미성숙체가 극우점하는 양상을 보였다. 500톤 규모로 희석된 Test water에서 ><TEX>$50{\mu}m$</TEX> 크기 생물의 총 개체수 밀도는 장목만과 마산만에서 유사하게 <TEX>$6.0{\times}10^4ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX>로 관찰되었으나, 생물의 사멸율은 장목만 시료보다 마산만에서 12% 높게 나타났다. 동일 방법으로 수행하였음에도 불구하고 마산만이 사멸률이 높은 이유는 우점하는 Acartia 속의 미성숙 개체가 장목만에서 관찰된 현존량보다 30% 높게 나타났고, 미성숙체는 인위적인 채집 및 이송과정에서 일정의 지속적인 스트레스를 받아 사멸하였을 가능성이 높다. 장목만에서 BWTS 처리 당일과 처리 5일 경과 후, BWTS처리군의 생물은 100% 사멸되어, 처리장비의 성능을 검증할 수 있었다. 결과적으로 동계와 같이 낮은 생물현존량이 존재할 경우, 주간 6-7시간 수행한 네트의 생물농축만으로는 USCG Phase II의 형식승인 기준인 500톤 탱크에 <TEX>$10{\times}10^4ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX> 이상으로 ><TEX>$50{\mu}m$</TEX> 자연생물 개체수를 만족시키는 것은 쉽지 않았고, 이를 보안하기 위해서는 선박을 추가하는 등의 현실적인 대안이 필요할 것으로 판단되었다. We investigated ><TEX>$50-{\mu}m$</TEX> marine planktonic organisms (mainly zooplankton) using a bongo net in Masan Bay and Jangmok Bay in order to harvest 75% of natural communities based on Phase-II approval regulations by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The concentrated volume (in 1 ton) and abundance of zooplankton were <TEX>$1.8{\times}10^7ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX> and <TEX>$2.3{\times}10^7ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX>, and their survival rates were 82.6% and 80.1%, respectively. The community structure in Jangmok Bay was similar to that in Masan Bay, and dominant species were adult and immature groups (stage IV) of genus Acartia. Harvested populations were inoculated in a 500-ton test tank. Although the population abundances were <TEX>$6.0{\times}10^4ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX> for both bay samples, the mortality rates were higher in the Masan Bay population (32%) than the Jangmok Bay population (20%). We considered the reason to be that there were 30% more immature individuals of Acartia from Masan Bay than from Jangmok Bay. The younger population may have been greatly stressed by the moving process and netting gear. After applying a Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) using a sample form Jangmok Bay, the mortality rates in the treatment groups were found to be 100% after 0 days and 5 days, implying that the BWTS worked well. During the winter season, the zooplankton concentration method alone did not easily satisfy the approval standards of USCG Phase II (> <TEX>$10{\times}10^4ind.ton^{-1}$</TEX> in the 500 ton tank). Increasing the netting frequency and additional fishing boats may be helpful in meeting the USCG Phase II biological criteria.

Possibility of Using Flow Cytometry in the Treated Ballast Water Quality Detection

In this article, monitoring of ballast water after its treatment by any of BWTS (Ballast Water Treatment System) on board ships has been analyzed. The efficiency of those systems has shown to be the major problem as there are no systems for tracking ship ballast operations. The overall aim of the study was to emphasize the necessity of monitoring the ballast water treatment on board ships and to propose a solution. The flow cytometry technology and applications of flow cytometers have been analyzed as well. The functionality and possibility of using this technology for detection of the treated ballast water quality has been explained. The results of the flow cytometry detection have been confirmed mathematically. The possibility of finding the remaining microorganisms in the treated ballast water has been calculated and the result was a very high percentage of 82%. The study presented in this paper aids in the understanding of how important it is for results of the ballast water treatment systems operation to be monitored since such monitoring is also in the interest of protecting the environment.

Comparisons of interdisciplinary ballast water treatment systems and operational experiences from ships.

There are high functioning and low functioning ballast water treatment systems on board ships. In this study, five systems were analysed so as to methodically examine the operational difficulties for ship crew members while giving important consideration to sustainable environment practices. Multi-criteria analysis, a questionnaire, survey and interviews were used as the research method so as to ascertain and corroborate existing problems on board ships, and the reliability of the systems was calculated. The co-insistency, maintenance and the efficiency of the systems, were shown as being the major problem as there are no systems for tracking ship ballast operations from land. The treatment system that used oxidants was, through multi criteria analysis, evaluated as being the best and was ranked first. However, the survey results showed that the ship’s crew had serious problems with this system which difficult to solve during the ship’s operations with cargo. The deoxygenation system was the most appropriate according to ballast water treatment criteria in the port or at sea. The treatment system which used electrolysis with oxidant was better in terms of efficacy and the treatment system electrolysis with ultra violet light was better in terms of the criterion environment pollution footprint. During further research, it was shown that 7 % of the surveyed crew members had major problems with operating ballast water treatment systems, including the system which was ranked first through multi criteria analysis. They by-passed these systems while continuing to ballast or de-ballast. It was calculated that of the total time needed for the ballast water treatment system operation, 9 % of this time was used for repairs or maintenance of the systems. Some examples are changing a used UV bulb, cleaning the filter or controlling the amount of oxidant which would be discharged into the sea. A conclusion was made and solution was suggested. The study results emphasised taking action in the interest of protecting the natural world, with particular attention being given to environmental protection to support human life.

선박 평형수 처리 시스템의 안드로이드 원격 모니터링 시스템

In this paper, I describe a system for remote monitoring of devices Android-based sensor data recorded during the operation of the ballast water treatment system. The proposed remote monitoring system is Designed and implemented when a problem occurs in the ballast water treatment system installed in the vessel, provide information if you are unable to determine the cause in the field or engineer dispatch request of external. System developed is composed of a server holding the sensor data information collected from the vessel and a mobile device that is not bound to time and place. The transmission of sensor data between mobile devices and server, and is implemented by TCP/IP to transmit information securely. System is composed of request to the server from the mobile device after the user inputs the input values, to transmit the sensor data. The device provides the information of the sensor with a high level of importance to the user. Through the remote monitoring sensor information of the ballast water treatment system, the system is made to predict the failure of the sensor.

COMPARISON OF HEAT EXCHANGER DESIGNS FOR SHIP BALLAST WATER HEAT TREATMENT SYSTEM

Sterilisation by heat can be a capital treatment for ballast water and waste heat from ship’s engines will be a good resource. Based on the waste heat availability on an operational tanker, a ballast water treatment system was envisaged including a shipboard heat exchanger for waste heat recovery. To verify the heat availability and the species’ mortalities, test rigs were arranged similar to shipboard arrangement. For assessing the smaller heat exchangers for the tests, designs were developed using Bell-Delaware approaches based on the shipboard heat exchanger design. The thermodynamic and geometric values were computed and the features of the commercially available and fitted heat exchangers were compared with the developed designs. Two commercially procured heat exchangers fitted on two separate engine test rigs were used for tests. The designs of commercially procured heat exchangers were close to the developed designs and were found to be suitable for the tests planned.

Development of a hydrodynamic static mixer for mixing chemicals in ballast water treatment systems

The movement of non-indigenous aquatic species (up to about 6000 species) along with ballast water into foreign countries during the shipping process poses concerns to human and environmental health as well as aquatic biodiversity. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is expected to impose tighter regulations on ballast water discharges in the near future, and consequently, the development of more efficient ballast water treatment processes is required. In this study, the hydrodynamic performance of a static mixer in a ballast system for the complete mixing of injected chemicals and ballast water flowing in the main pipe was numerically investigated. Through several steps (design of mixer shape using numerical methods, CFD simulations, and validation tests), the performance of the static mixer was evaluated. The CFD simulation results showed that the target fluid (water+chemical) was completely mixed at a distance equal to 8 times the pipe diameter downstream of the mixer outlet, and the mixing quality was about 95%. Furthermore, the results of the CFD simulations and the validation tests were in agreement. The results of this study suggest that the use of a static mixer in the disinfection and neutralization system stabilizes the system and minimizes the amount of chemicals consumed.

Effectiveness of a Barge-Based Ballast Water Treatment System for Multi-Terminal Ports

The paper presents outcomes of the discrete event simulation of the ballast water management in a multi-terminal port. The simulation includes ship’s manoeuvring, cargo and ballast operations and a barge-based ballast water treatment system operating within all terminal areas. The barge-based ballast water treatment system is used by ships unable to use their own equipment, not equipped with an appropriate ballast treatment system or non-compliant with the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention 2004 for whatever reason. The main goal is to estimate the productivity and cost effectiveness of such systems as an option to support ships not able to comply with the BWM Convention, once it enters into force. The model was built and tested in Arena simulation software. Process parameters are based on real traffic data for the port of Rijeka. The results indicate that barge-based ballast treatment facility will be heavily underutilized, and that such systems are cost-effective only in ports where large volumes of ballast water need to be delivered to shore treatment systems.

Novel Electrokinetic Microfluidic Detector for Evaluating Effectiveness of Microalgae Disinfection in Ship Ballast Water.

Ship ballast water treatment methods face many technical challenges. The effectiveness of every treatment method usually is evaluated by using large scale equipment and a large volume of samples, which involves time-consuming, laborious, and complex operations. This paper reports the development of a novel, simple and fast platform of methodology in evaluating the efficiency and the best parameters for ballast water treatment systems, particularly in chemical disinfection. In this study, a microfluidic chip with six sample wells and a waste well was designed, where sample transportation was controlled by electrokinetic flow. The performance of this microfluidic platform was evaluated by detecting the disinfection of Dunaliella salina (D. salina) algae in ballast water treated by sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) solution. Light-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (LICF) intensity was used to determine the viability of microalgae cells in the system, which can be operated automatically with the dimension of the detector as small as 50 mm × 24 mm × 5 mm. The 40 µL volume of sample solution was used for each treatment condition test and the validity of detection can be accomplished within about five min. The results show that the viability of microalgae cells under different treatment conditions can be determined accurately and further optimal treatment conditions including concentrations of NaClO and treatment time can also be obtained. These results can provide accurate evaluation and optimal parameters for ballast water treatment methods.

AHP 기법을 이용한 10,000 TEU 이상 컨테이너선에 적용되는 선박평형수 처리장치 최적제품 선정에 관한 연구

The Ballast Water Treatment System was developed to prevent the unintended transport of unwanted organisms from one region to another as demanded by the IMO (International Maritime Organization). Although various types of BWTS in the world have been developed until now and applied to various ships, there has been no systematic basis for its selection and installation. Currently, the system selection and installation are as per ship owner&#x2019;s suggestion or by easy installation point of view by the shipyard. In order to organize, systemize and solve problems related to the selection and installation of BWTS, a definitive study has been performed to come up with the best alternative to derive value and criteria which were to be met for vessels which are to be equipped with BWTS. Multiple criteria were compared alongside each other during the course of this study. Accordingly an AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) analysis method for A, B and C companies were done for container ships with size 10,000 TEU and above. Equipment type for &#x201C;A&#x201D; company is &#x201C;Filter, UV & TiO2&#x201D; combined type. For &#x201C;B&#x201D; company it is &#x201C;Filter & UV&#x201D; combined type. Finally for &#x201C;C&#x201D; company it is &#x201C;Electrolysis&#x201D; type. Henceforth, the results of this study aims to come up with the optimum way to select the best and the most suitable BWTS for a certain vessel.