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Design and installation of ballast water sample ports: Current status and implications for assessing compliance with discharge standards

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112280Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Data were collected from 72 ships to assess sample ports for ballast water sampling.

  • Few ships (15%) had sample ports placed in agreement with ISO standard 11711-1.

  • Sample probes were semi-permanent, that is, they were not easily removable.

  • Current port and probe configurations may constrain representative compliance testing.

  • Future installations should follow ISO standard 11711-1.

Abstract

To verify ships' compliance with ballast water regulations, samples may be collected and tested for viable organisms. This task is completed using a sample probe, which is placed in the ballast discharge pipe through a sample port (a flanged opening). To collect representative samples, the placement of the sample port and the size of the sample probe must be appropriate for the shipboard piping arrangement and ballast water flows. The placement of sample ports was evaluated on 72 ships to assess the current condition of ballast water sampling installations against available guidance. Few ships (15%) had sample ports fully aligned with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 11711-1. While current configurations may present challenges in collecting representative samples, these installations likely occurred before the ISO standard was available. Future installations should be in accordance with the standard to facilitate representative sampling.

Keywords

Biological invasions
International Maritime Organization
ISO 11711
Isokinetic sampling
Representative sampling
Sample probe

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1

The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SGS. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of SGS.

2

The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Commandant or of the U. S. Coast Guard.