Vessels traversing the world’s oceans carry ballast tanks filled with seawater to ensure stability, trim and structural integrity. However, the water in ballast tanks contains micro-organisms that can wreak havoc on local maritime ecosystems when water originating in one environment is emptied into another.
Experts estimate that at least 7,000 different species are being carried in ballast tanks around the world, and the International Maritime Organisation calls invasive marine species are one of the greatest threats to the world’s maritime ecosystems. The reason the problem is so serious is that, unlike damage from marine pollution such as oil spills, damaged caused by invasive species is usually irreversible.
– filtration,
– UV radiation
– and ozone generated in-situ by the UV-system.
DESMI Ocean Guard’s unique ozone generating low pressure UV lamps allow us to do double treatment, UV and ozone, with very low power consumption. Tests have shown that our system is very effective and exceeds the requirements from IMO. Tests also showed that fresh water is particularly challenging, but by optimizing the system we managed, as the first, to pass the IMO tests also in fresh water”, – says Rasmus Folsø from Maersk Maritime Technology that has been working closely with the project in the last few years.
The International Maritime Organisation has acknowledged the problem of invasive maritime species and adopted a convention that requires all vessels to clean their ballast water to prevent the transfer of micro-organisms from one ocean to another. New and existing commercial vessels will be required to have a cleaning system in place by 2019 at the latest, depending on the ballast water capacity of the vessel.Ballast water
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 105,917 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
COPENHAGEN, April 15 (Reuters) – Shipping company Maersk has not made any deployment changes after a Portuguese-flagged container ship was seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the Danish company said on Monday. “We find recent...
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) – The FBI has opened a federal criminal investigation into the deadly collapse of a Baltimore bridge last month when a ship crashed into one of its supports,...
By Daryna Krasnolutska (Bloomberg) Russia and Ukraine may have struggled to shift things significantly on the battlefield for more than 16 months, but a new phase of the war is moving...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 105,917 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
