Superseded by MEPC.279(70)
Resolution
MEPC.174(58)
GUIDELINES FOR APPROVAL OF BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (G8)
(Adopted
on 10 October 2008)
THE
MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE,
RECALLING
Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization
concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee
conferred upon it by the international conventions for the prevention and
control of marine pollution,
RECALLING
ALSO that the International Conference on Ballast Water Management for Ships
held in February 2004 adopted the International Convention for the Control and
Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (the Ballast Water
Management Convention) together with four conference resolutions,
NOTING
that regulation D-3 of the Annex to the Ballast Water Management Convention
provides that ballast water management systems used to comply with this
Convention must be approved by the Administration, taking into account Guidelines
developed by the Organization,
NOTING
ALSO resolution MEPC.125(53) by which the Committee adopted the Guidelines for
approval of ballast water management systems (G8),
NOTING
FURTHER that by resolution MEPC.125(53), the Committee resolved to keep Guidelines
(G8) under review in the light of experience gained,
HAVING
CONSIDERED, at its fifty-eighth session, the recommendation made by the Ballast
Water Review Group,
1.
ADOPTS the revised Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems
(G8), as set out in the Annex to this resolution;
2.
INVITES Member Governments to give due consideration to the revised Guidelines
(G8) when type approving ballast water management systems;
3.
AGREES to keep the revised Guidelines (G8) under review in the light of
experience gained;
4.
URGES Member Governments to bring the aforementioned Guidelines to the
attention of manufacturers of ballast water management systems and other
parties concerned with a view to encouraging their use; and
5.
REVOKES the Guidelines adopted by resolution MEPC.125(53).
Annex.
GUIDELINES FOR APPROVAL OF BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (G8)
1.1
These Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems are aimed primarily
at Administrations, or their designated bodies, in order to assess whether
ballast water management systems meet the standard as set out in regulation D-2
of the "International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships'
Ballast Water and Sediments," hereafter referred to as the
"Convention". In addition, this document can be used as guidance for
manufacturers and shipowners on the evaluation procedure that equipment will
undergo and the requirements placed on ballast water management systems. These
Guidelines should be applied in an objective, consistent and transparent way
and their application should be evaluated periodically by the Organization.
1.2
Articles and regulations referred to in these Guidelines are those contained in
the Convention.
1.3
The Guidelines include general requirements concerning design and construction,
technical procedures for evaluation and the procedure for issuance of the Type
Approval Certificate of the ballast water management system.
1.4
These Guidelines are intended to fit within an overall framework for evaluating
the performance of systems that includes the experimental shipboard evaluation
of prototype systems under the provisions of regulation D-4, approval of
ballast water management systems and associated systems that comply fully with
the requirements of the Convention, and port State control sampling for
compliance under the provisions of article 9 of the Convention.
1.5
The requirements of regulation D-3 stipulate that ballast water management systems
used to comply with the Convention must be approved by the Administration,
taking into account these Guidelines. In addition to such ballast water
management system approval, as set forth in regulation A-2 and regulation B-3,
the Convention requires that discharges of ballast water from ships must meet
the regulation D-2 performance standard on an on-going basis. Approval of a
system is intended to screen-out management systems that would fail to meet the
standards prescribed in regulation D-2 of the Convention. Approval of a system,
however, does not ensure that a given system will work on all vessels or in all
situations. To satisfy the Convention, a discharge must comply with the D-2
standard throughout the life of the vessel.
1.6
The operation of ballast water management systems should not impair the health
and safety of the ship or personnel, nor should it present any unacceptable
harm to the environment or to public health.
1.7
Ballast water management systems are required to meet the standards of
regulation D-2 and the conditions established in regulation D-3 of the
Convention. These Guidelines serve to evaluate the safety, environmental
acceptability, practicability and biological effectiveness of the systems
designed to meet these standards and conditions. The cost effectiveness of
type-approved equipment will be used in determining the need for revisions of
these Guidelines.
1.8
These Guidelines contain recommendations regarding the design, installation,
performance, testing environmental acceptability and approval of ballast water
management systems.
1.9
To achieve consistency in its application, the approval procedure requires that
a uniform manner of testing, analysis of samples, and evaluation of results is
developed and applied. These Guidelines should be applied in an objective,
consistent, and transparent way; and their suitability should be periodically
evaluated and revised as appropriate by the Organization. New versions of these
Guidelines should be duly circulated by the Organization. Due consideration
should be given to the practicability of the ballast water management systems.
1.10
The goal of these Guidelines is to ensure uniform and proper application of the
standards contained in the Convention. As such the Guidelines are to be updated
as the state of knowledge and technology may require.
1.11
The purposes of these Guidelines are to:
.1 define test
and performance requirements for the approval of ballast water management
systems;
.2 assist
Administrations in determining appropriate design, construction and operational
parameters necessary for the approval of ballast water management systems;
.3 provide a
uniform interpretation and application of the requirements of regulation D-3;
.4 provide
guidance to Administrations, equipment manufacturers and shipowners in
determining the suitability of equipment to meet the requirements of the
Convention and of the environmental acceptability of treated water; and
.5 assure that
ballast water management systems approved by Administrations are capable of
achieving the standard of regulation D-2 in land-based and shipboard
evaluations and do not cause unacceptable harm to the vessel, crew, the
environment or public health.
1.12
These Guidelines apply to the approval of ballast water management systems in
accordance with the Convention.
1.13
These Guidelines apply to ballast water management systems intended for
installation on board all ships required to comply with regulation D-2.
1.14
The land-based and shipboard approval requirements for ballast water management
systems specified in these guidelines are summarized below.
1.15
The manufacturer of the equipment should submit information regarding the
design, construction, operation and functioning of the ballast water management
system in accordance with Part 1 of the annex. This information should be the
basis for a first evaluation of suitability by the Administration.
1.16
The ballast water management system should be tested for Type Approval in
accordance with the procedures described in Parts 2 and 3 of the annex.
1.17
Successful fulfilment of the requirements and procedures for Type Approval as
outlined in Parts 2 and 3 of the annex should lead to the issuance of a Type Approval
Certificate by the Administration.
1.18
When a Type Approved ballast water management system is installed on board, an
installation survey according to section 8 should be carried out.
2.1
The requirements of the Convention relating to approval of ballast water
management systems used by ships are set out in regulation D-3.
2.2
Regulation D-2 stipulates that ships meeting the requirements of the Convention
by meeting the ballast water performance standard must discharge:
.1 less than 10
viable organisms per cubic metre greater than or equal to 50 micrometres in
minimum dimension;
.2 less than 10
viable organisms per millilitre less than 50 micrometres in minimum dimension
and greater than or equal to 10 micrometres in minimum dimension; and
.3 less than the
following concentrations of indicator microbes, as a human health standard:
.1 Toxicogenic
Vibrio cholerae (serotypes O1 and O139) with less than 1 Colony Forming Unit
(cfu) per 100 millilitres or less than 1 cfu per 1 gramme (wet weight) of
zooplankton samples;
.2 Escherichia
coli less than 250 cfu per 100 millilitres; and
.3 Intestinal
Enterococci less than 100 cfu per 100 millilitres.
For
the purpose of these Guidelines:
3.1
Active Substance means a substance or organism, including a virus or a fungus
that has a general or specific action on or against harmful aquatic organisms
and pathogens.
3.2
Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) means any system which processes ballast
water such that it meets or exceeds the ballast water performance standard in
regulation D-2. The BWMS includes ballast water treatment equipment, all
associated control equipment, monitoring equipment and sampling facilities.
3.3
The Ballast Water Management Plan is the document referred to in regulation B-1
of the Convention describing the ballast water management process and
procedures implemented on board individual ships.
3.4
Ballast Water Treatment Equipment means equipment which mechanically,
physically, chemically, or biologically processes, either singularly or in
combination, to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of
harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast water and sediments.
Ballast water treatment equipment may operate at the uptake or discharge of
ballast water, during the voyage, or at a combination of these events.
3.5
Control Equipment refers to the installed equipment required to operate and
control the ballast water treatment equipment.
3.6
The Convention means the International Convention for the Control and
Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments.
3.7
Monitoring Equipment refers to the equipment installed for the assessment of
the effective operation of the ballast water treatment equipment.
3.8
Sampling Facilities refers to the means provided for sampling treated or
untreated ballast water as needed in these Guidelines and in the
"Guidelines for ballast water sampling (G2)" developed by the
Organization.
3.9
Shipboard Testing is a full-scale test of a complete BWMS carried out on board
a ship according to Part 2 of the annex to these Guidelines, to confirm that
the system meets the standards set by regulation D-2 of the Convention.
3.10
Treatment Rated Capacity (TRC) is the maximum continuous capacity expressed in
cubic metres per hour for which the BWMS is type approved. It states the amount
of ballast water that can be treated per unit time by the BWMS to meet the
standard in regulation D-2 of the Convention.
3.11
Land-based Testing is a test of the BWMS carried out in a laboratory, equipment
factory or pilot plant including a moored test barge or test ship, according to
Parts 2 and 3 of the annex to these Guidelines, to confirm that the BWMS meets
the standards set by regulation D-2 of the Convention.
3.12
Viable Organisms are organisms and any life stages thereof that are living.
4.1
This section details the general technical requirements which a BWMS should
meet in order to obtain Type Approval.
Ballast
water management systems
4.2
The BWMS should not contain or use any substance of a dangerous nature, unless
adequate arrangements for storage, application, mitigation, and safe handling,
acceptable to the Administration, are provided to mitigate any hazards
introduced thereby.
4.3
In case of any failure compromising the proper operation of the BWMS, audible
and visual alarm signals should be given in all stations from which ballast
water operations are controlled.
4.4
All working parts of the BWMS that are liable to wear or to be damaged should
be easily accessible for maintenance. The routine maintenance of the BWMS and
troubleshooting procedures should be clearly defined by the manufacturer in the
operating and maintenance manual. All maintenance and repairs should be
recorded.
4.5
To avoid interference with the BWMS, the following items should be included:
.1 every access
of the BWMS beyond the essential requirements of paragraph 4.4, should require
the breaking of a seal;
.2 if
applicable, the BWMS should be so constructed that a visual alarm is always
activated whenever the BWMS is in operation for purposes of cleaning,
calibration, or repair, and these events should be recorded by the control
equipment;
.3 in the event
of an emergency, suitable by-passes or overrides to protect the safety of the
ship and personnel should be installed; and
.4 any bypass of
the BWMS should activate an alarm, and the bypass event should be recorded by
the Control Equipment.
4.6
Facilities should be provided for checking, at the renewal surveys and
according to the manufacturer's instructions, the performance of the BWMS
components that take measurements. A calibration certificate certifying the
date of the last calibration check, should be retained on board for inspection
purposes. Only the manufacturer or persons authorized by the manufacturer
should perform the accuracy checks.
Ballast
water treatment equipment
4.7
The ballast water treatment equipment should be robust and suitable for working
in the shipboard environment, should be of a design and construction adequate
for the service for which it is intended and should be so installed and
protected as to reduce to a minimum any danger to persons on board, due regard
being paid to hot surfaces and other hazards. The design should have regard to
materials used in construction, the purpose for which the equipment is
intended, the working conditions to which it will be subjected and the
environmental conditions on board.
4.8
The ballast water treatment equipment should be provided with simple and
effective means for its operation and control. It should be provided with a
control system that should be such that the services needed for the proper
operation of the ballast water treatment equipment are ensured through the
necessary automatic arrangements.
4.9
The ballast water treatment equipment should, if intended to be fitted in
locations where flammable atmospheres may be present, comply with the relevant
safety regulations for such spaces. Any electrical equipment that is part of
the BWMS should be based in a non-hazardous area, or should be certified by the
Administration as safe for use in a hazardous area. Any moving parts, which are
fitted in hazardous areas, should be arranged so as to avoid the formation of
static electricity.
Control
and monitoring equipment
4.10
The BWMS should incorporate control equipment that automatically monitors and
adjusts necessary treatment dosages or intensities or other aspects of the BWMS
of the vessel, which while not directly effecting treatment, are nonetheless
required for proper administration of the necessary treatment.
4.11
The control equipment should incorporate a continuous self-monitoring function
during the period in which the BWMS is in operation.
4.12
The monitoring equipment should record the proper functioning or failure of the
BWMS.
4.13
To facilitate compliance with regulation B-2, the control equipment should also
be able to store data for at least 24 months, and should be able to display or
print a record for official inspections as required. In the event the control
equipment is replaced, means should be provided to ensure the data recorded
prior to replacement remains available on board for 24 months.
4.14
It is recommended that simple means be provided aboard ship to check on drift
by measuring devices that are part of the control equipment, repeatability of
the control equipment devices, and the ability to re-zero the control equipment
meters.
5. Typical document
requirements for the plan approval process
5.1
The documentation submitted for approval should include at least the following:
.1 a description
of the BWMS. The description should include a diagrammatic drawing of the
typical or required pumping and piping arrangements, and sampling facilities,
identifying the operational outlets for treated ballast water and any waste
streams as appropriate and necessary. Special considerations may have to be
given to installations intended for ships that have unusual pumping and piping
arrangements;
.2 equipment
manuals, supplied by manufacturers, containing details of the major components
of the BWMS and their operation and maintenance;
.3 a generic
operations and technical manual for the complete BWMS. This manual should cover
the arrangements, the operation and maintenance of the BWMS as a whole and
should specifically describe parts of the BWMS which are not covered by the
manufacturer's equipment manuals;
.4 the
operations section of the manual including normal operational procedures and
procedures for the discharge of untreated water in the event of malfunction of
the ballast water treatment equipment, maintenance procedures, and emergency
action necessary for securing the ship;
.5 methods for
the conditioning of treated water prior to discharge should be provided, and
assessment of discharged water should include a description of the effect of
treatment on the ship's ballast water, in particular the nature of any
treatment residuals and by-products and the water's suitability for discharge
into coastal waters. A description should also be provided of any actions
necessary to monitor, and if necessary "condition", treated water
prior to discharge in order that it meets applicable water quality regulations;
if it can reasonably be concluded that the treatment process could result in changes
to the chemical composition of the treated water such that adverse impacts to
receiving waters might occur upon discharge, the documentation should include
results of toxicity tests of treated water. The toxicity tests should include
assessments of the effects of hold time following treatment, and dilution, on
the toxicity. Toxicity tests of the treated water should be conducted in
accordance with paragraphs 5.2.3 to 5.2.7 of the Procedure for approval of
ballast water management systems that make use of Active Substances (G9), as
revised, (resolution MEPC.169(57));
.6 a description
of BWMS side streams (e.g., filtered material, centrifugal concentrate, waste
or residual chemicals) including a description of the actions planned to
properly manage and dispose of such wastes;
.7 a technical
section of the manual including adequate information (description and
diagrammatic drawings of the monitoring system and electrical/electronic wiring
diagrams) to enable faultfinding. This section should include instructions for
keeping a maintenance record;
.8 a technical
installation specification defining, inter alia, requirements for the location
and mounting of components, arrangements for maintaining the integrity of the
boundary between safe and hazardous spaces and the arrangement of the sample
piping; and
.9 a recommended
test and checkout procedure specific to the BWMS. This procedure should specify
all the checks to be carried out in a functional test by the installation
contractor and should provide guidance for the surveyor when carrying out the
on board survey of the BWMS and confirming the installation reflects the
manufacturer's specific installation criteria.
6. Approval and
certification procedures
6.1
A BWMS which in every respect fulfils the requirements of these Guidelines may
be approved by the Administration for fitting on board ships. The approval
should take the form of a Type Approval