Okko Outinen

Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

The Tenth Meeting of the Joint HELCOM/OSPAR Task Group on Ballast Water Management Exemptions (TG BALLAST 10-2019), Tallinn, Estonia,

17-18 December 2019

Indicative ballast water analysis testing for port State control

purposes

2017

• Onboard BW sampling

• Test different indicative analysis devices and recommend the most suitable method for PSC compliance monitoring purposes

• Provide input for IMOs BW Experience-building phase, designed to monitor the implementation of the BWMC

2018 - 2019

Co-operation with TRAFICOM

Materials and methods

M/S Polaris (Arctia Shipping, 2019). Mirva VG (VG-Shipping, 2019).

• M/S Polaris• Filtration and Ultraviolet (UV)

radiation BWTS• Ballast water was treated on the dock

• Mirva VG• Filtration, Electro-Catalysis and

ultrasound treatment (EUT) BWTS• Ballast water was treated 72 hours

before sampling in Sillamäe, Estonia.

Sampling point at M/S Polaris (above) and Mirva VG (below).

Water flow meter, hose and 50µm plankton net at M/S Polaris.

Viability assessments

• Indicative analysis methods:

1. Adenosine TriPhosphate (ATP) Ballast

water monitoring kit

2. Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM)

fluorometry

3. Single Turnover Active Fluorometry

(STAF)

ATP Ballast water monitoring kit.

4. Motility and Fluorescence Assay (MFA)

• Detailed analysis for the 10-50µm organisms using Fluorescein diacetate

(FDA) staining and epifluorescent microscope

MFA >50µm analysis (left) and the device and external computer (right).

10-50µm analysis results

Viability assessments (10-50µm) for the UV-treated samples. Viability assessments (10-50µm) for the untreated (UT) samples.

• M/S Polaris

• All analyses indicated non-compliance• All analyses indicated non-compliance, except ATP

Detailed MFAPAMSTAFMFA PAM STAF

Viability assessments (10-50µm) for the EUT-treated samples.

• Mirva VG = All

analyses indicated

compliance, except

STAF.

ATP analysis results (10-50µm).

• UT = Untreated

sample

Detailed STAF MFA PAM

• All devices were considered portable and reasonably priced.

• ATP – Analysis time and accuracy: How much cATP is per viable organism?

• STAF – Filtration step most likely needed

• MFA – Promising device in the development stages.

• PAM – Viable organism counts correlated relatively well with detailedanalysis

Discussion

Thank you!

• Full report:

https://www.traficom.fi/en/news/new-study-published-indicative-analysis-methods-used-control-ships-ballast-water-treatment