Craig Jallal, Editor at Riviera Maritime Media asks the question, “Do OSVs [offshore vessels] require ballast water treatment systems?”
Jallal answers this question in a recently published article for OSV magazine:
“It is a frequently asked question, especially where the vessel only operates in the same area. While offshore vessels are unlikely to discharge as much ballast water, or as often, as deep-sea commercial ships, they are still required to comply with the regulatory requirements. Choice Ballast Solutions senior compliance engineer Debra DiCianna says there are few exceptions to the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWM) and it is always best to seek advice from an expert in compliance.
“The OSV owner/operator would be wise to seek out a ballast water treatment system (BWTS) from a supplier that has contracts within the OSV community, and to use an engineering company with experience of OSV installations. For many ballast water management system (BWMS) manufacturers, the offshore sector is not a target market, due to the size of such vessels, limited installation space, and/or retrofit costs. Ms DiCianna says: ‘With all the complexities and engineering challenges associated with offshore vessel compliance, manufacturers have had very little motivation to adapt their systems for use on OSVs. This limits the options we have been able to offer in our feasibility studies that are ‘fit for purpose’ to the offshore sector.’”
To read the entire interview of Debra DiCianna and other maritime professionals click here.
