Section 1 General

1.1.1 The purpose of this Chapter is to provide Rule requirements for machinery and equipment used to prevent transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens within ballast water and sediment. Such machinery and associated equipment is hereinafter referred to as the Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS).

1.1.2 The Rules are intended to ensure that the design, construction and installation of the BWTS achieve a level of safety which is acceptable to Lloyd’s Register (LR) and, additionally, to ensure that a failure of the BWTS will not affect the operation of essential services.

1.1.3 These requirements do not address the environmental performance of the BWTS, which is subject to the national and international statutory requirements. Operators are responsible for ensuring compliance with the relevant ballast water discharge standards and sediment controls.

1.1.4 Where risk-based studies identify further risk mitigation measures in addition to the specific requirements in the Rules then such measures are to be implemented.

1.2.1 Where any of the terms contained within this Section are used within this Chapter, their meaning is to be as defined in Pt 5, Ch 25, 1.2 Definitions 1.2.2 to Pt 5, Ch 25, 1.2 Definitions 1.2.19

1.2.2  Area - area means a defined location on board the ship. An area can be on open deck. An area can be open, semi-enclosed or enclosed. An area can be a space below deck. An area can be hazardous or non-hazardous.

1.2.4  Concentrated treatment – is the accumulation of treatment medium or its by-product (e.g. chemicals, other reactive materials, dissolved gases, etc.).

1.2.5 Dangerous gas – any gas which may develop an atmosphere being hazardous to the crew and/or the ship due to flammability, explosivity, toxicity, asphyxiation, corrosivity or reactivity and for which due consideration of the hazards is required, e.g. hydrogen (H₂), hydrocarbon gas, oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), chlorine (Cl₂) and chlorine dioxide (ClO₂), etc.

1.2.6 Dangerous liquid – any liquid that is identified as hazardous in the Material Safety Data Sheet or other documentation relating to this liquid.

1.2.7  Hazardous material – a substance, in the form of liquid, solid or gaseous state, solely or in combination with other material, which promotes danger to environment or human life.

1.2.8  Hazardous area - as defined in Pt 6, Ch 2, 14.2 Hazardous areas.

1.2.9 Non-hazardous area – an area which is not a hazardous area as defined in above paragraph.

1.2.10  Reactive material – a substance, used in ballast water treatment, which has potential for rapid oxidation or for undergoing a chemical reaction when in contact with other substances.

1.2.11  Risk - the combination of the likelihood of a potentially dangerous event and its consequence. Likelihood may be expressed as a probability or a frequency.

1.2.12  Risk assessment- is the evaluation of likelihood and consequence, together with a judgement on the significance of the result. See IEC/ISO 31010: Risk management, risk assessment techniques.

1.2.13  Side stream piping arrangement – is an arrangement in place to use a portion of ballast water from main ballast line or sea water from other sources (typically less than 10 per cent of ballast line capacity). The purpose for this arrangement is to produce a concentrated treatment (see Pt 5, Ch 25, 1.2 Definitions 1.2.4) that is then applied to the rest of the ballast capacity.

1.2.14  Accommodation spaces - are those spaces used for public spaces, corridors, lavatories, cabins, offices, hospitals, cinemas, game and hobby rooms, barber shops, pantries containing no cooking appliances and similar spaces.

1.2.15  Cargo area - is that part of the ship that contains cargo holds, cargo tanks, slop tanks and cargo pump-rooms including pump-rooms, cofferdams, ballast and void spaces adjacent to cargo tanks and also deck areas throughout the entire length and breadth of the part of the ship over the above-mentioned spaces.

1.2.16  Machinery spaces of category A - are those spaces and trunks to such spaces which contain either:

1. internal combustion machinery used for main propulsion;

2. internal combustion machinery used for purposes other than main propulsion where such machinery has in the aggregate a total power output of not less than 375 kW; or

3. any oil-fired boiler or fuel oil unit, or any oil-fired equipment other than boilers, such as inert gas generators, incinerators, etc.

1.2.17  Other machinery spaces - are spaces containing propulsion machinery, boilers, fuel oil units, steam and internal combustion engines, generators and major electrical machinery, oil filling stations, refrigerating, stabilizing, ventilation and air conditioning machinery, and similar spaces, and trunks to such spaces.

1.2.18  Service spaces - are those spaces used for galleys, pantries containing cooking appliances, lockers, mail and specie rooms, store rooms, workshops other than those forming part of the machinery spaces, and similar spaces and trunks to such spaces.

1.2.19  Special category spaces - are those enclosed vehicle spaces above and below the bulkhead deck, into and from which vehicles can be driven and to which passengers have access. Special category spaces may be accommodated on more than one deck provided that the total overall clear height for vehicles does not exceed 10 m.

1.2.20 The safe locations for the various discharges are shown below and signboards or similar warnings at the discharge areas are to be provided.

1. Safe location (1) Inert gas or nitrogen product enriched air
   Sources of inert gas or nitrogen product enriched air include:

   • in-line (categories 3a and 3b) and in-tank (categories 3c and 8) de-oxygenation BWTS: the protection devices installed on the ballast tanks, nitrogen or inert gas generators, nitrogen buffer tank (if any); or
   • in-line ozone injection BWTS (categories 7a and 7b): the oxygen generator;
   Safe locations on the open deck are:

   • not within 3 m of areas traversed by personnel; and
   • not within 6 m of air intakes for machinery (engines and boilers) and all ventilation inlets/outlets.
2. Safe location (2) Oxygen-enriched air
   Sources of oxygen-enriched air include:

   • in-line and in-tank de-oxygenation BWTS (categories 3a and 8): the nitrogen generator; or
   • in-line ozone injection BWTS (categories 7a and 7b): the protection devices or vents from oxygen generator, compressed oxygen vessel, the ozone generator and ozone destructor devices;
   Safe locations on the open deck are:

   • outside of hazardous area;
   • not within 3 m of any source of ignition and deck machinery, which may include anchor windlass and chain locker openings, and equipment which may constitute an ignition hazard;
   • not within 3 m of areas traversed by personnel; and
   • not within 6 m of air intakes for machinery (engines and boilers) and all ventilation inlets.
3. Safe location (3) Hydrogen by-product enriched gas
   Sources of hydrogen by-product enriched gas include:

   • in-line full flow electrolysis BWTS (category 4), in-line side-stream electrolysis BWTS (category 5) and in-line injection BWTS using a chemical which is stored on board (category 6): the hydrogen de-gas arrangement (when provided);
   Safe locations on the open deck are:

   • not within 5 m of any source of ignition and deck machinery, which may include anchor windlass and chain locker openings, and equipment which may constitute an ignition hazard;
   • not within 3 m of areas traversed by personnel; and
   • not within 5 m of air intakes from non-hazardous enclosed spaces.

   The areas on the open deck, or semi-enclosed spaces on the open deck, within 3 m of the outlets are to be categorised hazardous Zone 1, and an additional 1,5 m surrounding the 3 m hazardous Zone 1 is to be categorised hazardous Zone 2.

   Electrical apparatus located in the above hazardous areas Zone 1 and Zone 2 is to be suitable for at least IIC T1.

4. Safe location (4) Ozone
   For in-line ozone injection BWTS (categories 7a and 7b), vent outlet from the O₃ destructor device (ODS) can be considered as Oxygen-enriched air provided that:

   • the ODS is duplicated;
   • the manufacturer justified that the quantity of consumable (activated carbon) used by the ODS is sufficient for the considered life cycle of the BWTS; and
   • ozone detection is arranged in the vicinity of the discharge outlet from the vent outlet of the ODS to alert the crew in case the ODS is not working.
   If one of the above three conditions is not fulfilled, the safe locations from the ODS on the open deck are:

   • outside of hazardous area;
   • not within 3 m of any source of ignition;
   • not within 6 m of areas traversed by personnel; and
   • not within 6 m of air intakes for machinery (engines and boilers) and all ventilation inlets.

1.2.21 Airlock - an airlock is a space enclosed by gastight steel bulkheads with two gastight doors spaced not more than 2,5 m apart. The doors shall be self-closing without any holding back arrangements. Airlocks are to have mechanical ventilation and are not to be used for other purposes. An audible and visual alarm system to give a warning on both sides of the airlock is to be provided to indicate if more than one door is moved from the closed position. The airlock space is to be monitored for dangerous gas as defined in Pt 5, Ch 25, 1.2 Definitions.

1.2.22 Ballast Water Treatment Room (BWTR) - a Ballast Water Treatment Room is any space containing equipment belonging to the Ballast Water Treatment System. A space containing remote controls for the BWTS or a space dedicated to the storage of liquid or solid chemicals for BWTS need not be considered as a BWTR for the purposes of this Section.

1.2.23 Flammable liquid – a liquid whose flash point does not exceed 38°, when tested by closed-cup test methods.

1.3.1 BWTS notation assigned to ships with a BWTS which is approved and installed in accordance with LR’s Rules and Regulations.

1.3.2 BWTS* notation assigned to ships with a BWTS which is Type Approved in accordance with LR’s Type Approval procedures and approved and installed in accordance with LR’s Rules and Regulations.