Ballast Water Management Systems; Oversight of Shipboard Testing
Abstract
Ballast water management systems (BWMS) going through the United States Coast Guard's (USCG) type approval (TA) process must complete biological efficacy evaluations in both land-based and shipboard testing. Shipboard testing verifies the BWMS is operating as intended and meets the discharge standard. This report details shipboard testing requirements such as vessel selection, necessary sampling equipment, and test execution; and the challenges that the crew and testing personnel may face while underway. Operating with an active ship can lead to a myriad of issues such as scheduling, fitting testing in between operations, handling, storage of materials, and most of all, trying to conduct scientific work in a non-laboratory environment. The purpose of this report is to offer suggestions to those who may design or perform an audit of the independent laboratories (ILs) or sub-laboratories (SLs) as part of the USCG's oversight authority of BWMS testing. This report includes suggested preparations and considerations for each facet of ship selection, sampling, analysis, and documentation paired with a set of example questions that an auditor may ask to ensure ILs or their SLs are conducting a proper examination. Additionally, the report addresses the challenges a tester might face and provides potential alternative solutions that an auditor can implement to ensure the completion and ease of examinations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 29, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1215736
Entities
People
- B. S. Hwang
- M. R. First
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory