During the period from 8 November to 19 December 2022, DHI conducted an anonymized scientific investigation in Greenlandic and Danish ports to test if the Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) installed on board eight different vessels were in compliance with the D2 discharge standard. According to the D2 standard the number of organisms ≥50 µm shall be less than 10 organisms/m3, and the number of organisms ≥10 and <50 µm shall be less than 10 organisms/mL.
All BWMS were treating ballast water with filtration and UV. The installation date and Treatment Rated Capacity (TRC) of the BWMS varied.
While five out of eight tests showed compliance with the D2 standard, two tests did not, and another two tests had operational issues. One test was interrupted due to sampling difficulties. The investigation showed that there was no correlation between performance efficiency and installation date or TRC.
During the investigation, it was noted on several occasions that crew members awareness of the Operation Maintenance and Safety Manual (OMSM) and the Type Approval Certificate and their education in operating the BWMS were weak. While most of the BWMS investigated had easily accessible sampling points, one system had a sampling point being inaccessible. The filter was a weak point for some systems, as clogging and resulting low flow rates were observed. Additionally, alarms occasionally sounded during BWMS operation without clear instructions on what to do.
Læs/Read Scientific investigation of ballast water discharge