200865 Penalties for ballast overflow

A bulk carrier was discharging a cargo of ammonium sulphate. Towards the end of discharge operations, the vessel was pumping water into her designated ballast (DB) tanks. Due to a short delay in changing over the valves, a small amount of ballast water overflowed on deck from one of the air pipes.

Since all the scuppers on deck were plugged, the overflow was contained on board. However due to the vessel's appreciable stern trim, the water flowed along the upper deck and before the crew could divert the water into another ballast tank via the deck manhole, a small amount trickled over the deck edge at the stern.

The marine police immediately boarded the vessel, alleging pollution damage to the port, and imposed a large fine. The master pointed out that the ship was, in fact taking the water from the dock, which was quite muddy. Besides this, the overflow water mixed with cargo spilled from the grabs, left a brown residue on the deck. There was no trace of any oil or threat of pollution, but the authorities would not accept any explanation or reasoning.

Extreme precautions must be exercised during ballasting operations to ensure that ballast water does not overflow from tanks unintentionally.

Editor's note: Extensive damage may be caused to electrical installations if ballast water is carelessly discharged on to the wharf, especially from vessels that have 'drop valve' arrangements for directly discharging topside ballast tanks.
It is advisable to 'flush through' ballast discharge lines before coming into port and ensure there is no trace of oil or other substances.
It is advisable to keep a portable pump and a receiving tank in full readiness for accumulated ballast, rainwater and/or snow melt in port.
As a general rule, DB tanks should be ballasted by gravity.
The deck team must be clearly briefed before starting a ballasting operation and a reliable means of communications must be in use.
In some ports where effluents from inland industries or water run-off from chemically treated farmland are present in the dock water, 'clean' sea water or spilled water ballast mixed with cargo residues, discharged from ships has been known to produce patches of foam and / or discoloured water near the ship's overboard outlets. In such cases, masters are advised to inform the local P&I club correspondent and to arrange for an independent chemist's service to analyse the dock water for dissolved reagents (reactants), in order to protect the ship from wrongful pollution damage claims.