Vessels need ballast water to ensure their stability and manoeuvrability during their port and sailing operations when un-laden. Ballast water contains sediments, organisms and pathogens, which are transferred from one geographic location to another. Therefore, vessels are considered one of the primary pathways for the transfer of harmful aquatic
organisms and pathogens. The D-2 regulation of the Ballast Water Management Convention allows the ships to discharge less organisms than specified in the D-2 standard to prevent its spread, transfer and the introduction of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens around the globe. The Convention also requires inspections in order to verify vessels compliance with the requirements. Inspectors can take samples of the ballast water in order to perform a
biological sample analysis test using indicative instruments, or to conduct a detailed test. We reviewed the possible methods of taking a representative sample of the ballast water for monitoring compliance with the Convention, and the indicative sample analysis tools. The
key objective of this diploma was to evaluate the appropriateness of the selected tool Walz Water PAM for indicative analysis, which is used to identify living phytoplankton cells. The measurements of the instrument Walz Water PAM were compared with detailed analysis of
samples in a laboratory. It was concluded that Walz Water PAM could be suitable for the indicative analysis of the vessels ballast water.
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