The International Maritime Organization has launched a video that provides practical information on ballast water sampling and analysis.
Produced under the GloBallast Partnerships Programme, which aims to equip ship owners and operators with the skills they need for protecting the marine environment, the video outlines why ballast water transfer is one of the greatest threats to global ecosystems and how the IMO is hoping to address this threat through the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention.
One of the video’s chief goals is to give ship owners the knowledge and tools they need for undertaking ballast water sampling. As this is a new field of work for Port State Control and a new environment for ship owners, the video aims to equip ship owners with the knowledge on how to carry out on-board sampling and analysis.
Although most Port State Control duties can be conducted without sampling and analysis, the IMO state that it is important that inspectors have the skills and expertise they need to carry out accurate and precise sampling and to understand the results if something in an analysis cannot be avoided.
Additionally, Port State Control officers will find the resource useful as ballast water has become such a big issue while some Port State Control officers will not have had the chance to acquire an in-depth knowledge on ballast water due to their location.
Click here to view the video
