Design and installation of ballast water sample ports: Current status and implications for assessing compliance with discharge standards

To verify ships' compliance with ballast water regulations, samples may be collected and tested for viable organisms. This task is completed using a sample probe, which is placed in the ballast discharge pipe through a sample port (a flanged opening). To collect representative samples, the placement of the sample port and the size of the sample probe must be appropriate for the shipboard piping arrangement and ballast water flows. The placement of sample ports was evaluated on 72 ships to assess the current condition of ballast water sampling installations against available guidance. Few ships (15%) had sample ports fully aligned with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 11711-1. While current configurations may present challenges in collecting representative samples, these installations likely occurred before the ISO standard was available. Future installations should be in accordance with the standard to facilitate representative sampling.

Automated summary

To ensure compliance with ballast water regulations, samples are collected and tested for viable organisms by using a sample probe placed in the ballast discharge pipe through a sample port. The evaluation of sample port placements on 72 ships revealed that few align with the ISO standard, suggesting future installations should adhere to the standard to facilitate representative sampling.