BALLAST WATER HEAT TREATMENT OPTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES

Heat has been proved to be a very attractive method of minimizing the risk of introducing exotic marine organisms into the ports where ballast is discharged. It does not necessitate the use of chemicals or biocides that could be harmful to the environment. Waste heat from a ship’ s main engine can potentially provide a cost-effective source of heat. An analysis of available heat and methods to obtain required ballast water temperature with maximum efficiency is the main concern of this paper. Heating of the ballast tanks is inconvenient for vessels operating in cold regions since thermal stress may impact ship’ s structural safety. Therefore, proposed engine cooling system modifications could be used for further development of heat treatment. Combination of heating with other methods of ballast water treatment would be more effective. Heating could significantly improve ozone or UV treatment. There are some indications that heat transfer from water to marine organisms could be improved by ultrasound.