Ship Ballast Research Articles

ノンバラスト船及びバラスト水低減船の初期船型計画(第 2 報)

This is the second paper of preliminary hull form planning for Non-Ballast Water Ship (NOBS) and Minimal Ballast Water Ship (MIBS). In the previous paper, the author proposed some simple procedures to estimate propulsive performance for NOBS/MIBS. In this paper, the author shows usability of these procedures to investigate preliminary hull form planning for NOBS/MIBS through carrying out some trial designs for VLCC. The trial designs reveal a relationship between principal dimensions and propulsive performance of NOBS/MIBS. In addition, CFD technique is used to estimate propulsive performance of Conventional Ship and NOBS/MIBS in the full load condition. The accuracy of CFD results is confirmed by comparing CFD results with results of towing tank tests. At the stage of running CFD simulation, an initial hull form is required to generate grids. The author proposes a practical method for making an initial hull form of NOBS/MIBS. The initial hull form of NOBS/MIBS also can be used at the further design stage.

306 水中衝撃波による水生微生物処理に関する圧力波形の影響(大気環境保全・改善技術(2))

In recent years, microorganisms contained in ship ballast water have been identified as vectors for the destruction of marine ecosystems. To control such microorganisms, various techniques are being developed and tested. As part of this effort, we propose a technique that uses underwater shock waves driven by a gas-imploding detonation. Previously, we have reported characteristics of pressure generation at the implosion center of an imploding detonation. We examined how the maximum pressure, rise time, and half-width time of underwater shock waves affected the mortality rate of microorganisms (Anemia salina). The mortality rate of Artemia salina was increased by shortening the rise time of the pressure waves while increasing the maximum pressure and half-width time of underwater shock waves.

Implications of heterogeneous distributions of organisms on ballast water sampling

Ballast water sampling is one of the problems still needing investigation in order to enforce the D-2 Regulation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship Ballast Water and Sediments. Although statistical “representativeness” of the sample is an issue usually discussed in the literature, neither a definition nor a clear description of its implications are presented. In this context, we relate it to the heterogeneity of the distribution of organisms in ballast water and show how to specify compliance tests under different models based on the Poisson and negative binomial distributions. We provide algorithms to obtain minimum sample volumes required to satisfy fixed limits on the probabilities of Type I and II errors. We show that when the sample consists of a large number of aliquots, the Poisson model may be employed even under moderate heterogeneity of the distribution of the organisms in the ballast water tank.

Identification of the harmful dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum recovered from a ballast tank of a globally traveled ship in Port Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

The transport of microalgae in the ballast tanks of shipping vessels is of global concern because many algal species can survive in ballast tanks as nonmotile or cyst stages increasing the likelihood of introductions into foreign ports. In 2004 a peridinoid dinoflagellate was collected and isolated from ballast residuals of the merchant vessel Southern Fighter in Port Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Light and electron microscopy of the motile and nonmotile peridinoid cells indicated the dinoflagellate was Vulcanodinium rugosum. Bayesian and maximum-parsimony (MP) phylogenetic analyses of V. rugosum strain CCFWC516 showed that sequenced regions of its LSU and ITS matched those of V. rugosum strains from Japan but were divergent from those strains from New Zealand and France. LC–MS analyses indicated that strain CCFWC516 did not produce the neurotoxin pinnatoxin, an ability that has been reported for other strains of this species. Analyses did show, however, that strain CCFWC516 did produce portimine, a cyclic imine produced by all other strains of this species. The M/V Southern Fighter visited numerous ports along the coast of Japan and the North Sea before sailing to Florida. The phylogenetic match to Japanese strains, as well as the ship's ballast exchange history, suggests that strain CCFWC516 originated from Japan. In light of the increase in global shipping traffic, increases in vessel size and capacity, and the increased connectivity between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico that will result from the widening of the Panama Canal, the introduction of nonnative, harmful algal species is an area of heightened concern and calls for increased vigilance.

Salinity tolerance of alien copepods Acartia tonsa and Oithona davisae in the Black Sea

Acartia tonsa and Oithona davisae are typically near-shore species which were transferred to the Black Sea with ship ballast water and established self-sustaining populations in estuarine ecosystems. In order to estimate the salinity tolerance range and osmotic response in A. tonsa and O. davisae from Sevastopol Bay (a salinity of 18), the effect of salinity changes on mortality and body mass density of females of both species was studied. More than 50% of A. tonsa survived for 3–7days after the gradual salinity decrease and increase at a rate of 2–3h−1 within a salinity range from 3 to 30 while separate individuals withstood the salinity decrease down to 0.5 and salinity increase of up to 70 at a rate of 2–5day−1. In accordance with the LD50 index, the salinity tolerance range of O. davisae acclimated to a salinity of 18 amounted to 3–40. A. tonsa females maintained constant body mass density within the whole salinity tolerance range but hyper-regulated at the salinities higher than 30. In O. davisae females we observed a hysteretic response of body mass density within the salinity range of 12–40, probably, due to low osmotic water permeability of their integuments. At the lowest salinities (about 3) O. davisae hypo-regulated with body swelling, however, this species was iso-osmotic at the salinities higher than 40. Consequently, estuarine A. tonsa showed osmoregulatory capacities at low and intermediate salinities while salinity tolerance range of O. davisae was shifted to high salinities indicating marine origin of that species. Probably, an invasive success of A. tonsa and O. davisae in the brackish Black Sea is due to their osmoregulatory abilities.

Review of interdisciplinary devices for detecting the quality of ship ballast water.

The results of the ship ballast water treatment systems neutralization need to be verified in a transparent and trustful way before the ship enters a port. Some researches and results, explained in this article, confirm a need for a good verification. If there is no good methodology agreed, then it would not be accepted the solution that the BWMC (Ballast Water Management Convention) 2004 did protect the sea environment in full meaning. The main problem of ballast neutralization are remaining microorganisms (algae blooms, bacteria) ≥10 and <50. Autonomy of the future ballast water detection device has been explained and newest detection methods analyzed. The ranking analysis has been done thru PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) and results were shown by D-Sight software projections.

The Panama Canal and the transoceanic dispersal of marine invertebrates: Evaluation of the introduced amphipod Paracaprella pusilla Mayer, 1890 in the Pacific Ocean

Although the Panama Canal is one of the major corridors for shipping and potential dispersal of marine invaders in the tropics, little is known about the effect that the Canal has had on the distribution of marine biota. In this study, we (a) document the existence of established populations of the Western Atlantic caprellid amphipod Paracaprella pusilla, Mayer, 1890 for the first time at the Pacific entrance to the Canal, (b) review its distribution in the Pacific Ocean, and (c) evaluate possible mechanisms of introduction. The confirmed distribution of P. pusilla in the Pacific Ocean is limited to Australia, Hawaii, and Panama, despite earlier published reports from Chile and China. Laboratory experiments demonstrated intolerance of P. pusilla to freshwater, causing 100% mortality, and suggest invasion of the Pacific coast of Panama occurred through the Canal via ships' ballast water or by secondary spread via ships (ballast water or hull fouling) from another Pacific region.

Lionfish in the eastern Pacific: a cellular automaton approach to assessing invasion risk

The lionfish invasion in the Atlantic and Caribbean has proceeded with vigor since their introduction in the 1980s or early 1990s. Lionfish affect recruitment of juvenile fish to reefs due to predation and are found in densities far surpassing that of their native Indo-Pacific. There is concern that the lionfish may become introduced and proliferate (through aquarium releases, transport on floating debris, or passage through the Panama Canal in ship ballast water) in the eastern tropical and north Pacific. This study presents the first known prediction of the potential for establishment of lionfish in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Through computational modeling, we compare and contrast the dynamics of random hypothetical introductions of lionfish into the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in order to highlight the different potentials for invasion in both basins. Connectivity between discrete regions (precincts) in both the Atlantic and eastern Pacific are examined and settlement densities are calculated to indicate possible locations of establishment of breeding lionfish populations. Our results suggest that lionfish, which are successful invaders in the Atlantic, may not be as successful in the eastern Pacific due to weak mesoscale connectivity which reduces the rapid spread of lionfish larvae.

Chip-Based Portable Device for Detection of Microalgae Viability in Ballast Water

Ship ballast water has been identified as one of four major environmental threats by the international maritime organization. This paper presents a portable on-site rapid detection system of microalgae in ship ballast water. The system consists of a microfluidic chip platform, LED light source and drive systems, optical detection system, ARM software and hardware system, power supply system and so on. Microalgae particles can go through the detection area inside the micro channels one by one by using a sheath fluid focus. The resulting chlorophyll fluorescence is converted to the electrical pulse signal by photodiode. The experimental results show that the system can quickly and accurately detect the ballast water living microalgae concentration. The minimum detectable microalgae size is about 3μm (mean diameter). This system has some advantages such as miniaturized, portable, fast, accurate and label free, and has great potential for on-site rapid detection of ship ballast water.

A graphically illustrated glossary of polychaete terminology: invasive species of Sabellidae, Serpulidae and Spionidae

A well-illustrated glossary supports the study of polychaete anatomy and systematics, as well as aiding species identification, a need that emerged within the shipping and aquaculture industries over recent decades. Sabellidae, Serpulidae and Spionidae are polychaete families that most often include species that are translocated globally through ship fouling, ballast water or aquaculture trade. Accurate identifications are crucial since these translocations have significant ecological and commercial implications and also for phylogenetic and other biological studies. Using digital illustrations of specimens (deposited predominantly at the Australian Museum in Sydney), a glossary has been developed for these three families with the aim of standardising terminologies. Complete-focus images were generated with Helicon Focus 5.3 Pro software from multiple image layers. The definitions have been explained specific to families and illustrated with these images, thus creating the first comprehensive, digitally illustrated glossary of polychaete terminology.

ノンバラスト船及びバラスト水低減船の初期船型計画( 第1報)

This is the first report of preliminary hull form planning for Non-Ballast Water Ship (NOBS) and Minimal Ballast Water Ship(MIBS). Ships having large block coefficient(CB) like crude oil tankers and bulk carriers need huge amount of water ballast to keep proper propeller immersion and forward draught to operate in rough sea condition. Ballast water is necessary and useful for the safety operation, whereas it makes ship heavier and inferior in propulsion performance. And ballast water will need to be cleaned by the ballast water treatment system which is approved in accordance with IMO's guideline in the near future. A reduction of water ballast is also desirable to prevent ocean pollution. NOBS/MIBS has a unique hull form having V-shaped/convex bottom, and can keep sufficient draught to navigate safely on empty cargo condition even in rough sea without/with less water ballast. As a result of unique hull form, NOBS/MIBS has a very small midship coefficient in comparison to that of a conventional ship. Such unique principal particulars bring difficulties to investigate preliminary design of principal particulars for NOBS/MIBS.In this paper, the author proposes some simple procedures to estimate propulsive performance for NOBS/MIBS using neural network and measured data fitting. As the accuracy of these procedures and results are confirmed in the projects of NOBS/MIBS development, it can be the same level as that for conventional ships.

Introduction of the copepod Limnoithona tetraspina Zhang &amp; Li, 1976 (Cyclopoida, Cyclopettidae) into the Shatt Al-Arab, Iraq

The cyclopoid copepod Limnoithona tetraspina was collected for the first time in the Shatt Al-Arab, a river in Iraq, in the summer of 2009; its abundance ranged from 2-16 specimens/m3. Its distribution was restricted to the areas around Al-Sindibad Island and Al-Kornish in waters with temperatures between 27-28°C and salinities less than 4.1‰. A larger number of specimens was collected in August 2012 around Al-Sindibad Island, 134 specimens/m3, and in July 2013 around Al-Kornish, 378 specimens/m3 in waters of comparable temperatures and salinities. The copepod initially was described from the mouth of the Yangtze River, China, in 1976. It was introduced from the Yangtze River into the San Francisco Bay estuary, U.S.A., in 1993, with ship ballast water, and into the Columbia River, U.S.A., in 2003, presumably from the San Francisco Estuary. The origin of the Shatt Al-Arab population is unknown, but it is likely to have been introduced.

Numerical Investigation of a Liquid-Gas Ejector Used for Shipping Ballast Water Treatment

Shipping ballast water can have significant ecological and economic impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Currently, water ejectors are widely used in marine applications for ballast water treatment owing to their high suction capability and reliability. In this communication, an improved ballast treatment system employing a liquid-gas ejector is introduced to clear the ballast water to reduce environmental risks. Commonly, the liquid-gas ejector uses ballast water as the primary fluid and chemical ozone as the secondary fluid. In this study, high-pressure water and air, instead of ballast water and ozone, are considered through extensive numerical and experimental research. The ejector is particularly studied by a steady three-dimensional multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis with commercial software ANSYS-CFX 14.5. Different turbulence models (including standardk-ε, RNGk-ε, SST, andk-ω) with different grid size and bubble size are compared extensively and the experiments are carried out to validate the numerical design and optimization. This study concludes that the RNGk-εturbulence model is the most efficient and effective for the ballast water treatment system under consideration and simple change of nozzle shape can greatly improve the ejector performance under high back pressure conditions.

Influence of Inactivation Treatment of Ship's Ballast Water on Corrosion Resistance of Ship Steel Plate

The effect of seawater after ultraviolet inactivation on corrosion of a shipbuilding steel plate was investigated by means of natural corrosion potential experiments and immersion corrosion test. The effects of natural seawater and treated seawater after ultraviolet inactivation on corrosion of the selected steel plate samples were compared with each other. The results showed that there was no obvious change in the chemical composition of treated seawater compared with natural seawater. The corrosion potential slightly increased by 10 mV, whereas the corrosion rate rose significantly by 20%. The experiments verified the naturally formed biofilm in the natural seawater for the inhibition of corrosion on the shipbuilding steel plate. The possible influences of ballast water treatment on biofilm by ultraviolet and electrolysis inactivation under the condition of practical usage were also investigated. And it was found that ballast water treatment methods with no continuous disinfection could protect original tank biofilm structure, reducing the intensity of tank corrosion.

Choosing the Optimum Method of Treating the Ballast Water Onboard Ships

The transport of aquatic organisms from one place to another by ships ballast water has created substantial environmental impact on discharging areas. In order to avoid that, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommends treating the ballast water by different methods. The paper presents four methods of managing ballast water, accepted by the Organization: treating by filtration and irradiation with ultraviolet light, treating by de-oxygenation, treating with biocide and treating by heating. The comparative analysis of the treating technologies allows the ship-owner to choose such equipment by analyzing the advantages and the disadvantages. Considering that not only the quality parameters are important but also the cost, the study is completed by a mathematical model for calculation of unit cost for treating ballast water onboard. The purpose of this study is to develop an instrument for selecting the optimum method of ballast water treatment suitable for each type of vessel or voyage, so the ship-owners would be able to choose a treatment method comparing the costs, based on the specific requirements.

Metal Corrosion of Ballast Tank Caused by Electrolytically Treated Ballast Water

The metal corrosion of ballast tank caused by ships ballast water that has been electrolysed has been studied in the laboratory by means of statically immersing metal sample in treated sea water. Experimental tests show that the corrosion rate in the electrolyzed seawater is larger than that in the natural seawater, but the increment of the corrosion rate is not more than 35% in the first 12 hours in the medium with a 5 mg/L initial chlorine concentration and the corrosion rate will decrease with time.

Fredericqia deveauniensis,gen. et sp. nov. (Phyllophoraceae, Rhodophyta), a New Cryptogenic Species

A species previously confused with Ahnfeltiopsis devoniensis in Ireland and with Gymnogongrus crenulatus in eastern Canada and north-eastern USA has remained undescribed because of its cryptogenic origin. Our published research suggested a trans-Atlantic introduction, possibly with ship ballast rock, but the relationship with A. leptophylla from California required further investigation and a North Pacific origin was possible. Here, we report that 34 samples of this species from Northern Ireland (UK), New Hampshire (USA) and New Brunswick (Canada) were genetically identical at the cox2–3 spacer locus, consistent with a recent introduction. By contrast, in A. leptophylla, four haplotypes were found in 9 samples from three sites in California. This species (as G. crenulatus) was recently discovered in the North Pacific for the first time, during surveys in British Columbia for the Canadian Barcode of Life Project. Phylogenetic analysis of plastid-encoded rbcL and mitochondrial cox1 gene sequences separate it from A. leptophylla in a robust clade with two North Pacific taxa, Gymnogongrus chiton (M.A. Howe) P.C. Silva et De Cew, and “Ahnfeltiopsis gigartinoides”, both from California. It is here described as a new species in a new genus, Fredericqia deveauniensis, gen. et sp. nov. The two other members of the genus are Fredericqia chiton (M.A. Howe) comb. nov. and Fredericqia decewii, sp. nov., previously known as Ahnfeltiopsis gigartinoides but not conspecific with the type from Mexico. Fredericqia species form extensive basal holdfasts giving rise to terete or compressed erect gametophytic axes 50–300 mm high. Procarps develop either into compact cystocarps with multiple ostioles but no mucilaginous sheath, or externally protruding carpotetrasporophytes (in F. chiton). Life histories are potentially heteromorphic (erect gametophytes and crustose sporophytes with compact, coalescent hypobasal tissue, forming catenate sporangia, both reproduce apomictically in F. deveauniensis), or carpotetrasporangial. F. deveauniensis differs from the other members of the genus in forming internal cystocarps on flattened blades.Ahnfeltiopsis / DNA barcoding / Gymnogongrus / introduction / molecular systematics

Association of Bacteria with Marine Invertebrates: Implications for Ballast Water Management

Bacteria associated with plankton are of importance in marine bioinvasions and the implementation of ship's ballast water treatment technologies. In this study, epibiotic and endobiotic bacteria associated with zooplankton, including barnacle nauplii, veliger larvae, and adults of the copepod Oithona sp., were characterized and quantified. Barnacle nauplius and veliger larva harbored ~4.4 × 10(5)cells ind(-1) whereas Oithona sp. had 8.8 × 10(5)cells ind(-1). Computation of bacterial contribution based on biovolume indicated that despite being the smallest zooplankton tested, veliger larvae harbored the highest number of bacteria, while barnacle nauplii, the largest of the zooplankton, tested in terms of volume contributed the least. Pulverization of zooplankton led to an increase in bacterial numbers; for example, Vibrio cholerae, which was initially 3.5 × 10(3), increased to 5.4 × 10(5)CFU g(-1); Escherichia coli increased from 5.0 × 10(2) to 1.3 × 10(4)CFU g(-1); and Streptococcus faecalis increased from 2.1 × 10(2) to 2.5 × 10(5)CFU g(-1), respectively. Pulverized zooplankton was aged in the dark to assess the contribution of bacteria from decaying debris. Aging of pulverized zooplankton led to emergence of Chromobacterium violaceum, which is an opportunistic pathogen in animals and humans.

Reducing the cost of ballast tank corrosion: an economic modeling approach

One of the most relevant problems in ship construction and maintenance nowadays concerns the corrosion in the double hull space ballast tanks of modern merchant vessels. On the one hand, there is a general consensus that the economic life span of such a vessel depends primarily upon the corrosion state of its ballast tanks, while on the other hand, the position of these tanks, squeezed between the outer hull and the loading tanks, makes routine inspection and maintenance almost impossible.Today, ship's ballast tanks are usually constructed in grade A steel and protected with a standard epoxy coating, backed up with sacrificial zinc anodes. Such a construction has been applied without significant alterations for many years. However, the objective of this economic study is to compare this construction method with some feasible alternatives. The considered alternatives are: (1) an increase of the scantlings, eliminating the necessity to replace corroded steel but diminishing the cargo carrying capacity of the ship, (2) application of the novel and more durable TSCF25 coating (3), the use of corrosion resistant steel in ship construction or (4) a standard PSPC15 coating combined with lifetime lasting aluminum sacrificial anodes. After running each alternative through a cost model including an extensive sensitivity analysis, it is concluded that the durable coating and the use of lifetime lasting aluminum anodes are bound to improve the actual basic tank concept. Corrosion resistant steel becomes attractive depending upon the evolution of the international steel market.

Study on alternative approaches to corrosion protection of ballast tanks using an economic model

One of the most relevant problems in ship construction and maintenance nowadays is corrosion in ballast tanks of modern merchant vessels. On the one hand, there is a general consensus that the economic lifespan of such a vessel depends, to a large degree, upon the corrosion state of its ballast tanks, while on the other hand these ballast tanks, located between the outer hull and the cargo tanks, makes routine inspection and maintenance a difficult task.Today, ship's ballast tanks are usually constructed in steel and protected with an epoxy coating backed up by sacrificial zinc anodes. Such a construction has been applied without significant alterations for many years. The objective of this economic study is to compare this construction method with some potential alternatives. The considered alternatives are: (1) an increase in structural scantlings, eliminating the necessity to replace corroded at a cost of real cargo carrying capacity of the ship, (2) application of the novel and more durable TSCF25 coating (3), the use of corrosion resistant steel in ship construction and (4) a standard PSPC15 coating combined with lifetime lasting aluminum sacrificial anodes. A cost model was used to evaluate these alternative options together with sensitivity analysis. It is concluded that the durable coating and the use of lifetime lasting aluminum anodes are bound to improve the actual basic tank concept. Corrosion resistant steel becomes attractive when the steel price becomes competitive.