ballast management practice remains vital. Similarly, ensuring accurate ballast tank management, including regular inspection and maintenance, is also important.
BALLAST TANK MAINTENANCE
Maintenance and inspections of ballast tanks is key to ensure the structural integrity of tanks. As part of a vessel’s Planned Maintenance System (PMS), a robust maintenance schedule for the ballast tanks, including cleaning, inspection and repairs should be implemented. Regular inspections help identify any potential issues or structural damage to the ballast tanks. This allows for timely repairs and therefore helps mitigate the risk of incidents. To ensure maintenance of the onboard ballast tank system the following precautions should be taken.
Conducting regular inspections of the ballast tanks and associated pipework to identify any signs of damage, such as cracks, deteriorated welding seams, corrosion, or structural weaknesses. These inspections should include thorough visual examinations, non- destructive testing techniques, such as ultrasonic testing or magnetic particle inspection, and thickness measurements of the tank walls. Ideally, photographs should be taken and kept as a record of visual inspections.
- Checking manhole covers to ensure that sealing arrangements are free of debris, the gasket is in satisfactory condition and all nuts and bolts are in place and correctly cross-tightened.
- Periodic hydrostatic testing of ballast tanks surrounding the cargo holds should also be considered as part of a vessel’s planned maintenance system and conducted at suitable intervals when the holds are cargo free.
- Ensuring the surface is properly prepared before applying any protective coatings or treatments to the ballast tanks. This includes cleaning, removing rust and scale.
- Applying appropriate protective coatings to prevent corrosion. These coatings should have corrosion resistant and be able to withstand the harsh marine environment.
Conduct thorough tank inspections to
ensure the tank and its equipment is in a good condition
- Monitoring and maintaining cathodic protection systems to ensure their effectiveness. This may include periodically measuring the current and potential differences to assess the performance of the system and maintaining and replacing corroded anodes as per the manufacturers’ instructions.
- Regularly monitoring the quality of the water inside the ballast tanks to identify any potential sources of contamination. This includes testing for pollutants, chemicals and biological organisms that could lead to cross-contamination or damage to the ballast tanks. Also being aware of any unusual odour from the ballast tank venting system or sounding pipe.
- Promptly addressing any structural damage to the ballast tanks. This includes repairing any cracks, dents, or structural weaknesses that may affect the integrity of the tanks and notifying the vessels’ classification society to determine further repair requirements.
- Where there is a sign or suspicion of a ballast tanks integrity being compromised, ensuring it is not used before an investigation and any required repairs have been conducted. This also applies to adjacent tanks or compartments that may be affected by potential structural damage.
78 | ISSUE 106 | DEC 2023 | THE REPORT
It should also be noted that any inspection or work inside a ballast tank should be governed by Members’ entry into enclosed space procedures and Permit to Work system, implementing the provisions stipulated by IMO’s Resolution A.1050(27) ‘Revised recommendations for entering enclosed spaces aboard ships’.
CONCLUSION
Applying best ballast water management practice is essential in order to comply with applicable regulations and to prevent a costly claim. The maintenance and inspection of marine ballast tanks plays a crucial role in preventing leakage and cross-contamination. It is important to implement suitable measures, such as regular maintenance, appropriate drainage and cleaning, and efficient monitoring of water quality. Robust inspections will also help to identify any structural damage promptly. Providing training and education to the crew involved in operating and maintaining the ballast water system will help in mitigating the risk of pollution claims during ballast operations.
For further information, Britannia P&I Club can be contacted by email at:
lossprevention@tindallriley.com.
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