Environmental impact of shipping

The Ballast Water Convention (English International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships ' Ballast Water and Sediments ) is a law passed in 2004 international agreement within the framework of the International Maritime Organization. Objective of the agreement is to mitigate the damage caused by ballast water to the marine environment. The Agreement has not yet entered into force.

Problem

Ships must take on ballast water, which is transported in tanks, usually in the double bottom, forepeak, after peak and side spaces to increase their stability and load balancing. The ballast water is added in the harbor, the ship travels around the world and is pumped out again along with the organisms present in the water in other ports. Depending on the ship type and loading condition much (tankers, bulk carriers), much ( container ships, reefers, car transporters ) or little ( cruise ships and ferries ) is transported ballast water. Due to the spread of organisms in ballast water releases long -term damage as indicated by the mitten crab. The huge quantities of ballast large tankers and bulk carriers giant reinforce the importance of the issue in the past 20 years significantly. The financial implications are incalculable. Therefore, the International Maritime Organization International Maritime Organization ( IMO) has adopted a Ballast Water Convention in 2004. It establishes the conditions for the exchange and the treatment of ballast water.

Entry into force of the Ballast Water Convention

The IMO is the world recognized agency of the United Nations for the development and adoption of international standards for shipping, ship safety and marine environment protection. The Ballast Water Convention is the ballast water management, enshrined the implementation and monitoring. It shall take effect twelve months after the date in force when at least 30 states, the combined merchant fleets of at least 35 percent of the gross tonnage of the merchant fleet in the world make up, have deposited their instruments of ratification with the IMO as the depositary. In Germany, the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency is responsible for the approval of ballast water management systems. So far, 38 states have issued this statement internationally binding, cover 30.38 percent of world shipping tonnage. An exact date on which the Ballast Water Convention enters into force in international law, therefore, can not currently predict.

For Germany, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat the Convention on February 14, 2013 ratified the Ballast Water Act. The Federal Republic has deposited the corresponding instrument of ratification with the Secretary General of the IMO on 20 June 2013.

Ballast water management

For the ballast water management, there are two different methods:

• Exchange of ballast water at sea
• Treatment of ballast water on board.

Ballast water exchange

The following three methods for ballast water exchange are applied and accepted: In the sequential exchange of ballast water ballast water tank is first completely emptied and then refilled with fresh seawater. In flow-through method, a filled water ballast tank is constantly purged with fresh sea water and the dilution method is filled from above seawater in the ballast water tank and simultaneously withdrawn from the bottom ballast water so that the level does.

Ballast water treatment

After their mode of action is different mechanical, physical and chemical processes for treatment of ballast water. They can be used singly or in combination. In many cases, mechanical separation processes with physical and chemical methods are combined.

Operation without ballast water exchange

Meanwhile, a ballast water system of a container ship was presented, which manages the operation without ballast water exchange and can therefore dispense with the costly ballast water treatment. By means of a suitable tank division and a corresponding pumping and piping system is ensured with a sufficient constant amount of ballast water sufficient stability for the required loading conditions of the ship by pumping between tanks. The ballast water is permanently carried in the ship, without coming into contact with the marine environment and it can be deposited no sediment. The comparison with the conventional baugleichem container ship, were investigated in the different loading conditions, shows a good suitability of this alternative. Besides controlling the intact stability and the leakage inhibition according to the current harmonized provisions of SOLAS was found during this student project.