Shipboard trials of an ozone-based ballast water treatment system

Legislation introduced by the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has focused primarily on standards defining successful treatments designed to remove invasive species entrained in ballast water. An earlier shipboard study found that ozone introduced into salt water ballast resulted in the formation of bromine compounds, measured as total residual oxidants (TRO) that were toxic to both bacteria and plankton. However, the diffuser system employed to deliver ozone to the ballast water tanks resulted in patchiness in TRO distribution and toxicity to entrained organisms. In this follow-up study, the shipboard diffuser system was replaced by a single Venturi-type injection system designed to deliver a more homogeneous biocide distribution. Within-tank variability in TRO levels and associated toxicity to zooplankton, phytoplankton and marine bacteria was measured via a matrix of tubes deployed to sample different locations in treated and untreated (control) tanks. Three trials were conducted aboard the oil tanker S/T Prince William Sound in the Strait of Juan de Fuca off Port Angeles, Washington State, USA, between June and December 2007. Mortalities of plankton and bacteria and oxidant concentrations were recorded for treated and untreated ballast water up to 3days following treatment, and residual toxicity beyond this period was measured by bioassay of standard test organisms. Results indicated uniform compliance with current IMO standards, but only partial compliance with other existing and pending ballast water legislation.