The management of ships’ ballast water is a process of vital importance in the shipping industry, as marine pollution at the biological level caused by organisms carried in a ship’s ballast water can have devastating consequences for the marine ecosystem. Popularly known by its acronym BWTS (Ballast Water Treatment System) or WWT (Water Ballast Traetment), a ship’s ballast system is regulated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through the Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments.

Without the control of ships’ ballast water, the introduction of aquatic microorganisms in different areas of the sea and in ports around the world can generate an environmental threat, where invasive species, i.e. non-native species, are introduced, making it essential to employ sustainable and effective solutions to reduce biological pollution by means of ballast water treatment systems or other filtering solutions taking into account the ballast water convention. The treatment of ships’ ballast water is carried out in three stages or ballasting operations: during ballasting at the port of discharge, during the voyage between ports and during de-ballasting of the ship at the port of loading.