What is ballast water?

According to the Brazilian Navy (2022), “ballast water is used to ensure the stability of a vessel. It is taken into ballast tanks to enhance safety, assist with propulsion, and provide counterbalance. In the past, solid materials such as stones and metals were used for this purpose. With the development of maritime transportation and the construction of steel ships, solid ballast was gradually replaced by water due to its greater efficiency, availability, and cost-effectiveness.”

Rules and Regulations

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), through the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, established operational procedures that shipmasters must follow during their voyages. The regulations require the exchange of ballast water at sea, which consists of replacing the water contained in a vessel’s ballast tanks with seawater from the open ocean. This exchange must be carried out at least 200 nautical miles from the nearest land and in waters at least 200 meters deep, whenever possible.

In addition, in order to prevent, minimize, and ultimately eliminate the transfer of aquatic organisms and pathogens, the Convention requires vessels to comply with ballast water treatment standards. Since September 2024, all vessels are required to have a Ballast Water Treatment System, as also established by NORMAM-DPC No. 401/2023.

With the aim of continuously improving ballast water management, Portos do Paraná monitors the ballast water of all vessels arriving from abroad through documentary checks, in accordance with the procedures established in RL-APPA-SGI-003, the SSMA Regulations for Vessels. These checks are carried out within the Organized Port area.

Ballast Water Treatment Systems

To mitigate the environmental impacts associated with ballast water exchange, research institutions have developed different methods for the treatment and management of ballast water. According to the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, the accepted options include:

• Mechanical treatment methods, such as filtration and separation;
• Physical treatment methods, such as sterilization using ozone, ultraviolet light, electrical currents, and thermal treatment;
• Chemical treatment methods, such as the addition of biocides to ballast water to eliminate organisms; and
• Combinations of the methods described above.

Why is ballast water monitoring important?

Ballast water management is essential because estuarine organisms that may be present in ships’ ballast tanks are not adapted to survive in oceanic waters. Likewise, oceanic organisms are not adapted to survive in estuaries or bays.

When organisms are introduced into environments outside their natural range, they may become established and affect native aquatic communities. Some introduced species can become invasive alien species, potentially causing significant ecological impacts and altering the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems.

For this reason, monitoring the ballast water of vessels arriving from other countries is an important measure for preventing and controlling the introduction and spread of non-native species.

What are invasive alien species?

Invasive alien species are organisms introduced, intentionally or unintentionally, into environments outside their natural geographic range that become established and spread, potentially causing negative impacts on native biodiversity, ecosystems, or human activities.

These species may compete with native organisms for resources, alter habitats, introduce pathogens, or disrupt ecological interactions, thereby posing a threat to local biodiversity (ICMBio).

Environmental Awareness Among Ship Crews

Since the Port of Paranaguá received its Operating License in 2013, inspections have been carried out in accordance with the applicable Maritime Authority regulations.

Currently, following the criteria established by IBAMA Technical Opinion No. 073/2023-COMAR/CGMAC/DILIC regarding the conditions of the Operating License granted to the Administration of the Ports of Paranaguá and Antonina, informational materials have been developed to raise awareness among the crews of vessels calling at the Port of Paranaguá.

These materials include an informational guide, a questionnaire to assess the effectiveness of the initiative, and brochures covering topics related to Brazilian legislation on ballast water, bioinvasion, and the environmental threats posed by non-native species.

It is important to highlight that this initiative is integrated with the programs implemented in the areas of environmental education, environmental communication, and aquatic biota.