ERMA FIRST Ballast Water Treatment System Modern vessels cannot just pump ballast water in and out anymore. Under the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, ships must treat ballast water so they don’t spread invasive marine organisms from one region to another. This post gives a simple overview for deck officers, engineers and ratings. Detailed operation and maintenance are covered in the manuals attached below. 1. What Is ERMA FIRST BWTS? ERMA FIRST is a Greek manuf

Practical guidance for deck officers and engineers: When your ballast water treatment system (BWTS) suddenly starts tripping on high differential pressure, TRO alarms, or can’t keep the flow, you are very likely in Challenging Water Quality (CWQ) – and every decision you make from that moment will be checked later by PSC, flag and company. This post gives a practical, non-brand-specific overview of CWQ, contingency measures and record-keeping, based on: IMO Interim Guidance f

🌏 Australian Ballast Water Report Form – What It Is and Why It Matters Ballast water management is strictly regulated in Australian...