@article{GENERAL,
      recid = {7538},
      author = {Clare, Alan},
      title = {Selecting a suitable Ballast Water Treatment System for a  small general cargo vessel},
      journal = {Conference Proceedings of BWTC},
      address = {2017-01-13},
      number = {GENERAL},
      abstract = {The main questions which will be addressed in this paper  are; which ballast water treatment system (BWTS) should be  fitted to a fleet of small general cargo ships that are  trading in Northern Europe, including the Baltic Sea, and  how will the implementation of the Ballast Water Management  Convention (BWMC, herewith “the Convention”)  will affect the engine room crew? There is a large capital  cost in the purchasing and fitting of such a system, and as  the vessels in question have some special requirements,  such as operating in very cold weather and having small  engine rooms, the correct system must be chosen. As the  small engine room crew, consisting of a chief engineer and  an oiler, must be able to operate, maintain and repair the  system, the chosen system will impact on their working life  while onboard these vessels.

To answer the research  questions, all the chief engineers employed by the Company  and a number of shore superintendents from other shipping  companies, involved in the management of small general  cargo ships were surveyed using questionnaires. Their  responses were then analysed and conclusions drawn from  this analysis. The criteria required to choose a ballast  water treatment system was narrowed down during the  research, and then used to find the most suitable system  for the company vessels.

A small number of systems  currently in production from well-known manufacturers were  evaluated during this process. Following evaluation of the  systems using the responses from the respondents, the most  suitable system for the company vessels was identified and  chosen. The need for training was also identified to  successfully operate and maintain the system, and to reduce  any additional stress that may be experienced by the crew  due to the BWMC.

The research also contains a review of  the BWMC, and a comparison with measures brought in by the  United States Coast Guard (USCG), which include the  transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, (HAOP)  by merchant vessels from area to area by other methods that  are ignored by the BWMC. It also considers the long-term  health effects on the crew and marine ecosystem from  treated ballast water using some types of treatment  systems.

The report of the survey provides scope for a  more informed decision making process when choosing a BWTS  for a small general cargo vessel.  However, in  addition, the process can be applied to any type of vessel  as many of the issues encountered will be the same  regardless of size and trading pattern.},
      url = {http://library.imarest.org/record/7538},
}