LR updates ballast water treatment technology guide

The global requirement for ballast water treatment arises from the International Convention for The Control of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. This requires certain ship types to use treatment systems which makes the treatment of ballast water one of the most significant environmental and operational challenges facing the marine industry today.

According to Dr Gillian Reynolds, principal environment and sustainability advisor at LR, to meet this legislation, ship operators are now being confronted with having to select the ballast water treatment solution which will work for them.

Dr Reynolds, who is responsible for developing the guide, said: “The intention of the guide is to help shipyards, owners, operators, regulators and other stakeholders understand the availability and approval status of commercial solutions and provide an insight into the different technologies involved. This revision provides updated information on suppliers and the solutions that they provide, and demonstrates the increasing commercial availability of approved ballast water treatment systems.”

The updated publication has been produced by LR in conjunction with the Institute for the Environment, Brunel University, UK and can be ordered at (www.webstore.lr.org).