International Standard for Commissioning and Testing of Ship Ballast Water Led by China Released
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 9, China's State Administration for Market Regulation announced that the international standard "Ships and marine technology — Ballast water management systems — Commissioning and testing procedures for electrolytic ballast water management systems" (ISO 23817:2026), led by China, has been officially released. The standard specifies that during commissioning and testing of electrolytic ballast water management systems, continuous operation shall be no less than 60 minutes, the discharge sampling volume shall be no less than 1 cubic meter, and discharge compliance verification shall be conducted for two categories of aquatic organisms of different sizes. Experts from the United States, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, and Denmark participated in the development work.
The standard mainly applies to the commissioning and testing of electrolytic ballast water management systems after initial installation on ships, covering installation inspection, functional testing, crew training, commissioning verification, and technical documentation records. The document published by the International Organization for Standardization also specifies detailed procedures including piping layout, electrical wiring, equipment component inspection, alarm testing, bypass mode testing, emergency shutdown testing, and independent shutdown testing.
In the system performance verification phase, the standard requires testing of two categories of organisms: those greater than or equal to 50 micrometers, and those greater than or equal to 10 micrometers but less than 50 micrometers, to verify whether the treated ballast water meets the D-2 discharge standard of the International Maritime Organization's "International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments." The relevant commissioning and testing procedures are developed in accordance with IMO circular BWM.2/Circ.70/Rev.1, covering ballasting operations, deballasting operations, sample collection and analysis, and system operation records.
According to the standard, the ship's ballast water management equipment manufacturer or its technical representative is typically responsible for installation inspection and equipment commissioning, the ballast water testing organization is responsible for water sample collection and analysis, and the relevant inspection work is carried out by recognized organizations authorized by the competent authority. Commissioning records include equipment functional verification results, biological treatment efficacy test reports, and crew training records, which can be used for inspection and acceptance after equipment installation.
The ISO official website shows that the standard was developed by the Ships and Marine Technology Committee ISO/TC 8, with the project initiated on November 7, 2023, the international standard draft vote completed on January 13, 2026, the publication stage entered on July 7, and officially released on August 5. China's State Administration for Market Regulation released the relevant announcement on October 9. As of the release of this announcement, China has led the development of 3 international standards related to ballast water management systems, covering system design, commissioning, and other aspects.
