Ballast water treatment ashore — Better for the environment and for seafarers

After a brief overview of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), 2004, the status of ratification and its applicability to ships the main methods for ballast water treatment required by the BWM Convention are introduced. Port-based reception and treatment facilities would offer many benefits compared to treatment of ballast water on board — shore-based facilities would be more efficient and provide both economical and environmental advantages. The choice to impose the ballast water treatment obligations on the ships and their crews may have been the solution of least resistance, but it may also be the solution, which represents the least efficiency and the greatest overall cost as well as a potential for negative consequences for the crew responsible for ballast water management.