Ballasting and Deballasting Procedure

Ballasting or de-ballasting is a process

by which sea water is taken in and out
of the ship when the ship is at the port
or at the sea. The sea water carried by
the ship is known as ballast water.

Ballasting Process
When no cargo is carried by the ship,
the later becomes light in weight,
which can affect its stability. For this
reason, ballast water is taken in
dedicated tanks in the ship to stabilize
it. Tanks are filled with ballast water
with the help of high capacity ballast
pumps and this process is known as
Ballasting.

De- ballasting Process

However, when the ship is filled with
cargo, the stability of the ship is
maintained by the weight of the cargo
itself and thus there is no requirement
of ballast water. The process of taking
out ballast water from the ballast tanks
to make them empty is known as deballasting.

Planning of the Ballasting Operation

The Chief Officer is normally designated to carry out ballast procedures and
maintain all records as required. The Master is to ensure the Chief Officer is
familiar with the requirements of ballast handling including IMO Guidelines.
The Master must also ensure that all the crew members are given the
instruction and are aware of the need for ballast water control procedures
and the procedures being adopted on board.
Ballast operations are always to be planned in advance by the Chief Officer
and entered on the Cargo Loading and Discharge Plan . The plan is to be
approved by the Master prior to commencing the operation. In port, the
plan must be discussed and agreed with the terminal personnel.
Each vessel must produce a standard plan for a complete ballast change
which should include the following elements, stress calculations, any
restrictions on deck access during operations, the supervision of the
operations, communications, line and valve settings, venting arrangements
and ullage monitoring.

Records and Reporting

When taking on ballast waters, the date and time of commencement and
completion of the ballast operation, ships position, salinity (specific
gravity) and amount of ballast water taken onboard must be recorded in
the ships Deck Log Book.
A report in the format shown in the appendix to IMO Guidelines must be
completed by the Master and made available to the Port State Authority
on request. Analysis certificates, ballast reports and shore receipts must
always be kept on board in a separate file.
When the Port State Authority water ballast control requirements (e.g.
exchange of ballast at sea) cannot be met during the voyage due to
weather condition, operational impracticability, etc, the Master must
report this fact to the Company and the prospective Port State Authority
prior to entering its national waters (economical zone), so that
appropriate alternative action can be arranged.

Loading Ballast Water

When loading ballast every effort is to be made to ensure only clean ballast is
being taken onboard and the intake of sediment is minimised. Where practicable
vessels are to avoid taking on ballast water in shallow water areas or in the vicinity
of dredging operations.
Vessels must not ballast if at all practicable in areas where there is a known
outbreak of water communicable diseases or where phytoplankton blooms are
occurring.
It is recognised however, that when vessels trade to river or estuary ports, intake of
some silts and sediments is unavoidable. In such situations the amount of silt taken
on board can often be substantially reduced by planning to ballast on the flood tide
when the suspended silt levels are normally lower.
Vessels taking on ballast in river or estuary waters or any other areas where the
purity of the water is in doubt, including areas of probable contamination from
chemicals, disease, pathogens etc. must follow the control procedures as described
below.
When segregated ballast has been loaded in stilted or otherwise polluted water, the
ballast is to be changed as soon as possible after leaving that port. It is also
essential that this is carried out to prevent the build up of mud in ballast tanks
which may reduce the vessels cargo lifting capacity. Whenever possible the initial

Ballast Water Exchange and

Sediment Removal
The most realistic and practical method for the control of transportation of
marine organisms and to control sediments, is to exchange ballast water in
deep ocean or open sea areas. This will limit the probability that fresh water or
coastal species will be transferred in the ballast water. The responsibility for
deciding on such action rests with the Master. The Master must contact the
Port State Authority of his next port via the agents and determine if special
control actions are required. The exchange is to be conducted in water depths
greater than 2000 metres, or in those cases where this is not possible,
exchange of ballast water is to be made well clear of coastal and estuary
influences.
Draining of each tank is to be done until pump suction is lost. This will
minimise the likelihood of residual organism survival. The tank is then to be
flushed over the bottoms by refilling (if possible by gravity) to approx. 0.5
metre depth, twice, each time followed by complete draining until pump
suction is lost. The tank is then to be refilled. The effectiveness of this flushing
can be increased if the vessel is on a course that causes the vessel to roll
slightly, however, the vessel must not deviate greater than 15o from the
intended voyage course during the time of flushing.
When heavy sedimentation is observed after visual inspection, then manual

Environmental Aspect
Cruise ships, large tankers, and bulk cargo carriers
use a huge amount of ballast water, which is often
taken on in the coastal waters in one region after
ships discharge wastewater or unload cargo, and
discharged at the next port of call, wherever more
cargo is loaded. Ballast water discharge typically
contains a variety of biological materials, including
plants, animals, viruses, and bacteria. These
materials often include non-native, nuisance, exotic
species that can cause extensive ecological and
economic damage to aquatic ecosystems, along with
serious human health issues including death.