Managing Ship's Ballast Water: A Feasibility Assessment of Mobile Port-Based Treatment

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC), which requires vessels to manage their ballast water according to specific standards. While most vessels have to install a management system onboard, in some cases, a mobile solution, for example a system fitted in a container, might be a more viable solution. These mobile systems are an excellent solution as a contingency measure as well, that is when onboard systems malfunction. Research on the topic is rather scant. To that extent, this paper proposes a Bayesian network-based framework to model and assess the feasibility of mobile ballast water treatment solutions. The results based on input from experts indicate that mobile systems are a highly feasible solution. The operational and logistical feasibility of the system are the most important parameters and are areas where the manufacturers and service providers should pay more attention. With compliance deadlines approaching, malfunctions of installed systems increasing and the technology for port-based solutions becoming more mature, there will be increased focus on port-based systems. Our results can, therefore, provide valuable insights to regulators, ship and port operations and we hope that they can spark further academic research on this area.

Automated summary

The International Maritime Organization has adopted the Ballast Water Management Convention, which mandates vessels to manage their ballast water according to specific standards. A Bayesian network-based framework is proposed in this paper to model the feasibility of mobile ballast water treatment solutions and the results suggest that mobile systems are highly feasible. The operational and logistical feasibility are identified as the most important parameters.