FOM 1.3	Fleet Operations Manual General Ballast Operations	Doc No.: FOM 1.3 Revision: 01 Date: 15 Oct 2024 Issued by: DPA Approved by: MD

1. APPLICATION

This document applies to Masters and Chief Officers on-board all fully managed vessels.

2. PURPOSE

The purpose of this document is to specify requirements and recommendations for safe ballasting of vessel and to comply with International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments - 2004 (Entry into force on 8th September 2017).

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 Master

• Inform the Technical Director/Marine Superintendent if unable to manage the ballasting/de-ballasting operation in line with the cargo operations.

3.2 Chief Officer

• Plan and conduct the ballasting and de-ballasting operations.
• Inspect and maintain the ballast water tanks and associated pipelines/fittings.
• Appointed Ballast Water Management Officer onboard; responsible for implementation of the BWMP and carrying out the necessary trainings with regards to the BWMP.

3.3 Chief Engineer

• Ensure inspection and maintenance of ballast pumps and ballast water treatment plant is carried out.

4. BALLAST PROCESS

4.1 Process – Routine / Non-Routine Task

• Identify routine and non-routine tasks of ballast operations on board before performing the task.
• Comply as per FOM 10.16 – Risk Assessment. Complete Risk Assessment accordingly before performing any routine / non-routine ballast task.

5. BALLAST QUANTITY

5.1 General

Master must ensure:

• Vessel’s stability is maintained.
• Dangerous trim and list does not develop.
• Stresses and bending moments remain within limits.
• Avoid any contamination or pollution of sea water.

Sufficient ballast quantity must be taken to ensure:

• Submerge the propeller.
• Maintain the vessel's manoeuvrability.
• Avoid excessive vibration.
• Operate within stress limitations.
• Retain sufficient bow immersion to avoid undue slamming.

5.2 Fair Weather

Up to force 4 minimum ballast is to be taken, around of 30% DWT.

5.3 Moderate Weather

Wind force 4 - 6 additional ballast shall be taken, and ballast quantity may be increased to 37% DWT.

5.4 Heavy Weather

To reduce effect of pounding:

• Reduce speed.
• If wind force exceeds force 6, then consider taking additional ballast up to 42%.

5.5 Vessels with Ducted Propellers

If maximum power is required without excessive vibrations, then increase aft draft. Masters shall establish and record relevant parameters by experienced.

6. DISTRIBUTION OF BALLAST

Ballast distribution should depend on the following factors:

• Distribute ballast evenly to minimize stress.
• Take clean ballast in tanks with cathodic protection.
• Keep ballast tanks either empty or fully pressed up; avoid having slack tanks. When pressing up the tanks – tanks should not be overflow.
• Avoid excessive stern trim:
  • This may hinder the operations of pumps in the engine room.
  • Interfere with the readings of boiler water level gauges.
  • Cause the bow to pound.

7. LOADING AND DISCHARGING BALLAST

7.1 Loading of Ballast Water

• Test safety devices e.g., BWTP sensors as per maker’s recommendation, emergency stops, bilges alarm, high level alarms, sounding and temperature gauges prior to ballast operations.

• Ensure ballast manhole covers are properly tight prior to commencing ballasting operations. Thorough check to be carried out if manhole for the tank to be ballast located inside another compartment / critical area such as in the Fore Peak Store, tunnel space area, Aft Peak Store, Steering Gear Room, electrical area, within Engine Room, etc where flooding can take place if overflow.
• Ensure all the openings for the tank such as sounding valve and caps, valves connected to the ballast line but not being used, etc are properly shut.
• Ensure vent head canvas covers, if fitted, to be removed before conducting any ballasting operations.
• Use Ballast Water Treatment Plant, if fitted.
• Avoid ballasting in shallow water areas or near dredging operations.
• Take ballast tank soundings at hourly intervals or more frequently.
• Upon completion of ballasting operation, re-check the final sounding. Compare sounding with gauge reading. Monitor the reading in order to ensure no unanticipated leaks.

7.2 Discharge of Ballast Water

• Obtain permission from the relevant port authority prior to commencing de-ballasting.
• Use Ballast Water Treatment Plant, if fitted.
• Monitor the sea surface for pollution near the ballast discharge overboard.
• Stop de-ballasting in case slick is noticed in the water adjacent to the ship and investigate.
• Trim the vessel sufficiently to empty out the ballast tanks.

• Take ballast tank soundings at hourly intervals or more frequently.

7.3 Ballasting of Designated Cargo Holds – Bulk Carriers

• Remove all cargo residue from the hold.
• Wash down the hold and remove all remaining cargo.

• Prepare the ballast well to ensure that blanks are removed.
• Blank off the bilge line in the ballast hold if there is any doubt about the integrity of the bilge system.
• Blank off firefighting system pipeline, if any, in the cargo hold.
• Secure the hatch cover devices once the hold is filled up.
• Ensure cargo hold ballast vents are fully opened.
• Ballast hold valves to be opened and inspected at 5 yearly intervals. Rubber lining inspected and the operation of valve checked (Date of check to be entered in PMS).
• When preparing cargo holds, ballast hold manhole lid to be pressure tested for leaks.
• When preparing the cargo holds, ALL DB tank / stool space / fuel oil tank nuts manhole cover and bolts checked for condition and leaks.
• Prior to carrying out hold ballasting, ballast hold valves to be pressure tested for leaks.
• Prior to carrying out hold ballasting, the ballast manhole lid rubber packing / nut bolt conditions to be checked.

• Monitor adjacent holds closely for any water leakages.
• Top up the ballast water hold as required during sailing.

7.4 Preventing Hydraulic Surge (Water Hammering) During Routine Ballast Operations

Extreme caution is to be exercised to ensure that no surge of pressure takes place in the lines during ballasting or deballasting operations. In loaded condition, the ballast tanks are empty. During discharging when the ballasting operations are started by gravity, the incoming water can cause shock loading / water hammering on the pipes and valves. In ballast condition when the ballast tanks are full and when cargo is started to be loaded in the tanks and when the deballasting operations are started by gravity it will cause a shock pulse created in the line. Whenever there is a large difference in the draft outside and the level of the water inside the tank, there is a possibility of shock loading / shock pressures. The shock loading pulse can be worse particularly when the pipeline is having air (either partly or fully) or in vacuum. Even if water is present in the pipe fully, there will be a shock wave as soon as water rushes from higher datum to lower datum. Following precautions should be strictly observed during ballasting / deballasting operations to prevent “water hammer effect”:

• 1. After completion of deballasting by educting, there could be a possibility of vacuum present in the pipelines. Hence to ensure that the pipelines and valves are not subjected to vacuum, after completion of educting, break the vacuum by opening/closing the appropriate ballast valves of empty ballast tank. “Negative pressures” should be avoided by confirming the pressure in the ballast line is “Positive” by the suction gauge on water ballast pump. Ballast line always should be in positive pressure prior to commence operation.
• 2. Prevention of possible surging by “Air Lump” in the line can be achieved by priming the ballast suction line with sea water. Ballast operation should start from the tank closest to sea chest valve and de-ballasting should be from the tank closest to water ballast pump. In order to minimize the impact of surging by extraction of air lump in the ballast suction line, gentle gravity should be used for checking water heads.
• 3. In case the Sea chest valve is non-controllable hydraulic type, then consideration may be given to initial use of manual hydraulic pump in pump room for gradual opening of sea chest valve. Care should be taken to follow all procedures of manual operation regarding isolation/de-isolation of hydraulic lines. Care should be taken that the ballast pump casing is positively isolated and that under no circumstances the ballast pump casing is allowed to take the impact of initial surge / hammering.
• 4. When ballasting and de-ballasting, never start the pump with full throughput by keeping the pump valves fully open. The correct way is to keep the discharge valve shut/throttled, then start the pump and then slowly open the discharge valve as required to maintain back pressure. Pump load should be monitored throughout the ballasting / de-ballasting procedure. Similarly, when shutting off the ballast pumps, the discharge valve must be first closed before the pump is shut off.
• 5. Ballasting by gravity: During ballasting by gravity, initial water throughput/flow should be controlled by manual sea chest valve. Once the flow starts in 5 minutes or a reasonable time, the valves can then be slowly opened. If the sea chest valve is not manual or a controlled hydraulic valve, then the flow of water can be controlled by opening the ballast overboard valve and then opening the ballast line bulkhead master valve. Care should be taken that some discharge ports have regulations of not opening the ballast overboard valve during ballasting / Cargo discharge operations (e.g., Yosu, Korea). Open v/v in the sequence from the furthest ballast tank (Fore Peak or 1 Wings as appropriate), Ballast line isolation v/v similar to cargo line bulkhead master, the last being the sea chest. If sea chest is open/shut type, then the nearest set of ballast tanks from the pump room should also be opened to reduce the flow of water in the bottom line. If possible and practicable, maximum number of empty tank valves as possible & practical should be open so as to minimize the impact of initial surge/hammering.
• 6. De-Ballasting by gravity: Opening of v/v sequence will be Sea Chest to tank v/v being the last one in the process. In this case too, tank v/v must be opened very gradually 5% & so on. Ballast overboard line can also be used in the initial phase of de-ballasting by gravity to avoid pressure surge in the ballast bottom lines. In case of non-controllable tank valves, stripping valves (if fitted) may be used initially for a few minutes and later change to main valve.

• 7. For vessels fitted with BWTS, please refer to the maker’s manual for ballasting/de-ballasting by gravity. While using ballast pumps in conjunction with BWTS system, the same precautions as above are required ensuring that enough water flow is maintained on the suction side of the ballast pump & pumps are not allowed to run dry. Ballast lines should always be in positive pressure prior to commence operation.
• 8. Regular inspection and cleaning of WBP strainers will lead to safe operation and high performance of the ballast system.
• 9. Recording Ballast Information

Maintain the following records:

• Ballast Water Record Book as per MEPC 369(80)
• Oil Record Book – Record details of ballasting operations into cargo or fuel tanks.
• Port Log – Record major events such as start and stop times of ballast/de-ballast/ballast exchange operation.

The graph defines the relationships between:

• Temperature (red vertical lines)
• Density (grey horizontal lines) as read from the Hydrometer
• Salinity (blue curved lines)

Parts per thousand “ppt”, symbol= %o

9. Pollution Prevention Requirements

9.1 General

This section applies to the overboard discharge of ballast water or contaminated water from tanks, holds, and spaces in the cargo area.

Inspect ballast water prior to discharge to stop or reduce the potential for oil pollution. The following guidelines apply:

• Before arrival in port: Flush ballast pipelines and ballast sea-chest to ensure no discoloured water is sighted when the ballast operation starts.
• Prior de-ballasting:
  • Inspect the ballast water in the tank to confirm no oil is sighted. Inspect visually, electronically (UTI, MMC, etc.), or by sampling.
  • Post a notice at ballast handling station: “Inspect ballast tank for presence of oil before de-ballasting”.
  • Sampling from sounding pipes should be avoided.
  • It is not satisfactory if numerous bolts must be removed from manhole covers to check that ballast is free of oil.
  • If samples are taken after opening a manhole, then the manhole should be secured back after use.
  • Maintain sufficient stock of oil finding paste.
  • Check adjacent tanks to ballast tanks to confirm no transfer has occurred.
  • Check surrounding areas around the vessel for presence of oil on start of de-ballasting.

9.2 CBT Ballasting – Tankers

To prevent this:

• Drain all deck and pump room cargo pipelines into the aft-most tanks to remove static head of oil prior to pump start-up.
• With sea-chest valve shut, correctly line up the ballast system.
• Start the cargo pump and confirm proper operation before opening sea-chest valve/s. For example, an increase in vacuum on the suction pressure will indicate the pump is operational after which the sea-chest may be opened.

9.3 Sea Chest Valves – Tankers

This section is applicable only when the sea-chest is connected to the cargo pipeline system. Refer to ICS/OCIMF publications:

• Prevention of oil spillages through cargo pump room sea valves
• International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers & Terminals (ISGOTT 5th Edition), chapter 24.7.2

Before arrival at the load port, test sea-chest valves and record the result. Drain the section between sea-chest valves to check for the presence of water.

10. Ballast Water Management Systems

Comply with IMO’s ballast water management convention and other applicable national or local regulations such as the US Coast Guard ballast water management regulations of 2012 or the Kuwait convention of 2009.

• Comply with class approved ballast water management plan on board the vessel.
• Comply with operation, maintenance and safety instructions from the maker.
• Record failures or defects in the Ballast Water record book.
• The ballast water management system includes ballast water treatment equipment, monitoring equipment, and sampling facilities.

In circumstances when vessels are unable to manage ballast water in accordance with its approved Ballast Water Management plan to meet D-1 or D-2 standard, with a view to ensuring the protection of the marine environment and ship safety and minimizing any impact to the continuity of port operation and ship operation, the ship can consider the following possible contingency measures as guided by BWM.2/Circ.62 (Guidance on contingency measures under the BWM Convention):

• Actions predetermined in the Ballast Water Management plan of the ship.
• Discharging ballast water to another ship or to an appropriate shipboard or land-based reception facility, if available.
• Managing the ballast water or a portion of it in accordance with a method acceptable to the port State.
• Ballast water exchange carried out to an approved plan in accordance with regulation B-4 to meet the standard in regulation D-1. The ship and the port State should consider the potential disruption to the cargo handling operation plan of the ship and the potential impact to relating parties including port operators and cargo owners.
• Operational actions, such as modifying sailing or ballast water discharge schedules, internal transfer of ballast water or the retention of ballast water on board the ship. The port State and the ship should consider any safety issues and avoid possible undue delays.

In any case, the ship is required to do its best to correct malfunction of the Ballast Water Management system as soon as possible and submit its repair plan to the port State control authorities and the flag State.

Pay attention to the following for treatment systems that use or generate active substances (chemicals):

• Health and safety issues related to the handling and storage of chemicals and/or other active substances.
• Use of appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Atmosphere check for presence of toxic gases before entering a ballast tank.
• Avoiding accidental discharge of hazardous materials to the environment.
• Safety issues associated with the ballast water treatment system installed on board.
• Never enter the ballast water tank when the treatment system is in operation.
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any chemicals/active substances employed or produced during the treatment process.
• Emergency procedures and by-pass arrangements in case of ballast water treatment system malfunction.

Vessels fitted with ballast water treatment systems that alter the chemistry of the ballast water in the tanks versus ambient seawater (namely Active Substance Systems as defined by IMO), must have a statement from the ballast tank coating supplier confirming compatibility of the ballast tank coating type with said system.

11. Atmosphere Checks of Ballast Tanks and Voids

Check ballast tanks and void spaces atmosphere upon departure:

• Load port
• Then on a daily basis, weather permitting.

To detect the presence of hydrocarbon vapours:

• If possible, test from multiple sampling points.
• Open manholes and/or tank access covers to sample inaccessible areas. Ensure to secure it properly after the sample is taken.

12. Special Ballast Operations

When carrying solidifying or high viscosity or heated cargoes:

• Adhere to charterer’s instructions with regard to ballasting operations.
• Risk assessment is carried out.
• Loading - Ballast tank adjacent to the cargo tank being loaded should be empty. Include all details in the cargo plan.
• Discharging - Ballast only those tanks when adjacent cargo tanks are completely discharged. Include all details in the cargo plan.
• Drain cargo lines passing through ballast tank to avoid solidification in the lines.

13. Ballast Operation in Sub-Zero Temperature

14. Taking Heavy Weather Ballast in Cargo Tanks

Additional ballast may be taken in cargo tanks other than segregated ballast tanks only in the following cases:

• In adverse weather conditions, for safety of the vessel.
• To safely pass under a bridge or other overhead obstructions.
• When local port or canal regulations require specific draft.

15. Chief Officer Best Practices

• Record ballast tank and all void space soundings daily.
• Investigate any unusual change in sounding.
• At sea, the ballast tanks must be kept either full or empty.
• Flush tanks periodically to remove sediments in ballast tanks.
• Check sounding pipes of ballast tanks to be clear of any obstruction.
• Check the sounding pipe strike plate for corrosion and pitting.
• Check condition of sounding and air pipes passing through cargo holds at every cargo hold cleaning.
• Keep air pipes/vents open when ballasting/de-ballasting.
• Check all ballast tank manhole covers, especially those in cargo holds, for water tightness.
• Check gasket condition of manhole covers and renew if required.

16. Referenced Forms and Checklists

• Ballast Water Record Book and Ballast Water Reporting Form

17. Appendices

• FOM 1.2 Heavy Weather Ballast