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Ballast water sampling in Rotterdam with ROSCOFF team
Stephan Gollasch
GoConsult
June 2010
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GoConsult
BALLAST WATER SAMPLING IN ROTTERDAM WITH ROSCOFF TEAM
Stephan Gollasch
GoConsult
Grosse Brunnenstrasse 61
22763 Hamburg
Germany
Reporting period 5, March 2011 to Aug. 2001
22-06-2011
This report should be quoted as follows
Gollasch S, 2011. Ballast water sampling in Rotterdam with ROSCOFF team. Final report. Prepared for Interreg
IVB North Sea Ballast Water Opportunity project: 10 pp.
Disclaimer
The contents and views contained in this report are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent
those of the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme. Although careful consideration is given to its content,
we cannot be held responsible for its use.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 2
2 METHODS ................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1..MV ELUSIVE ............................................................................................................... 3
2.2..MV ENDURANCE .......................................................................................................... 4
2.3..GOCONSULT SAMPLE PROCESSING METHODS ......................................................................... 5
3 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 7
3.1..MV ELUSIVE ............................................................................................................... 7
3.2..MV ENDURANCE .......................................................................................................... 7
4 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 8
4.1..SAMPLING ONBOARD ..................................................................................................... 8
4.2..ORGANISMS ............................................................................................................... 8
5 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................ 9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 10
Ballast Water sampling in Rotterdam with ROSCOFF team
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1 INTRODUCTION
Due to the expertise in ballast water samplings, which we at GoConsult achieved during sampling the ballast
water of more than 200 vessels since 1992, we were asked by Marcel Veldhuis (NIOZ) to assist ballast water
sampling events in the Port of Rotterdam. The samplings were planned to stretch from the middle to the end of
June 2011.
This ballast water sampling event was undertaken a joint initiative of the Interreg IVB Project Ballast Water
Opportunity (BWO) and the project BioMarKs
1
. BioMarKs is a ERA net program funded by BiodivERsA’s national
partners. BiodivERsA is a project funded under the Framework Programme of the European Commission. The
project BioMarKs integrates 8 EU research institutes and 30 EU experts in eukaryotic microbial taxonomy and
evolution, marine biology and ecology, genomics and molecular biology, bioinformatics, as well as marine
economy and policy, to assess the least explored biodiversity compartment in the biosphere: the unicellular
eukaryotes or protists. BioMarKs will reassess coastal marine protist biodiversity using massive rDNA
sequencing integrated into a network of taxonomic expertise and comprehensive contextual phenotypic and
environmental metadata. Microscopy analyses, as well as downstream PCR-based and FISH molecular analyses
of archive DNA, RNA, and cellular material will allow anchoring of the genetic data into high quality phenotypic,
phylogenetic, and ecological quantitative frameworks.
When the interest in ballast water appeared in BioMarKs, NIOZ was contacted as coordinator of BWO to support
the planned ballast water sampling event.
GoConsult was asked to help during the onboard samplings and to bring all needed gear for the zooplankton
analysis while NIOZ facilitated the logistical details. In addition a PAM analysis was made.
1
http://www.biomarks.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2:what-is-biomarks-
&catid=1:summary&Itemid=10
Ballast Water sampling in Rotterdam with ROSCOFF team
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2 METHODS
On June 19
th
2011 the first vessel was boarded in the Haven 8200. The details of this container vessel and the
other sampled vessels are outlined in Table 1.
Table 1: Description of sampled vessel.
Vessel name MV Elusive MV Endurance
Haven 8200 2750
IMO number 9123805 9312200
Vessel type Container, 660 TEU Container, 750 TEU
DWT 8002 9285
Length (LOA) 132,83 m 134,65
Sampled tank Double bottom 1 Double bottom 1
Sampled tank capacity 135,02 m³ 255 m³
Sampling method On-deck overflow Hand-pump via sounding
pipe
Total ballast water
capacity of the vessel
3589,66 m³ 4989 m³
2.1 MV ELUSIVE
This vessel is not equipped with sounding pipes and consequently the hand-pump could not be used. Manholes
could not be opened due to overlaying cargo. In the engine room would have been no water draining system
and it would not have been acceptable to discharge such larger volumes of water into the bilge. The only way to
get access to ballast water in larger quantities on MV Elusive was on overflow on deck (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Ballast water overflow on deck of MV Elusive during sampling.
The water overflow was generated by the vessel’s ballast water pump. The pump was run approximately 15
minutes and water from the port was pumped into the tank at the bottom which generated an overflow of the
tank. Thereby the top water level of the tank was sampled.
Ballast Water sampling in Rotterdam with ROSCOFF team
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2.2 MV ENDURANCE
On this container vessel the hand-pump, which was formerly used during the German ballast water sampling
study, was operated to pump the water on deck. Two tanks were targeted for the sampling. Both tanks
contained water originating from Dublin.
For the firstly selected side tanks the hose was lowered to ca. 7 m depth in the sounding pipe without contact
to water. At this depth an obstacle in the sounding pipe not permit to lower the hose any further. This was the
case for both tanks, i.e. the starboard and portside side tanks.
Consequently, the same sampling approach was tried for the second targeted tank, a double bottom tank (Fig.
2).
Figure 2: Sounding pipe with hand-pump hose in it. Note the description right of the sounding pipe, i.e.
DBTK1CWB = Double Bottom TanK, No.1, Centre, Water Ballast.
Here it worked well that the hose got in contact with water after ca. 8 m and water was pumped up (Fig. 3).
The onboard sampling time was ca. 1 hour.
Figure 3: Use of the hand-pump to pump up ballast water.
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2.3 GOCONSULT SAMPLE PROCESSING METHODS
All samples were processed onboard in an identical way, i.e.
Sample water was collected (with or without a hand-pump) in a metered 12 l bucket.
The water was concentrated using a small 50 µm diagonal HydroBios plankton net (Fig. 4).
The bucket was filled multiple times and the water was drained through the net.
After sampling the net was washed to ensure all organisms are collected in the cod-end.
The cod-end content was emptied into a 1 l bottle and filtered water was added to fill the sample
bottle.
The sample bottle was stored in a cooling bag with cooling packs until analysis.
An unconcentrated sample was taken for possible later phytoplankton analysis.
Salinity and temperature were measured during sampling with a calibrated WTW-instrument.
Figure 4: Small HydroBios ballast water sampling net (left) and the bigger ROSCOFF net (right).
The sampling team left the vessel (Fig. 5) and continued processing in the hotel.
Figure 5: Signing out when leaving the vessel.
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Sample processing in the hotel included:
Concentration of the zooplankton sample by using a 30 µm sieve.
The sieve was emptied into a 100 ml jar.
A sub-sample of 6 ml was analysed under a stereomicroscope at a magnification of 10 (Fig. 6).
All living zooplankton organisms above 50 micron in minimum dimension were counted according to
broader organism groups, i.e. without detailed taxonomic identification.
The viability of the unconcentrated phytoplankton sample was measured by using a PAM of Walz,
Germany.
Unconcentrated phytoplankton samples were stored in the fridge for later enumeration at NIOZ.
Figure 6: Analysis of ballast water sample for organisms above 50 µm in minimum dimension in the hotel.
The other “laboratory” was not available during the weekend, but was used to process the samples taken
during weekdays (Fig. 7). It is hoped that the dust in the air of this facility does not negatively influence the
results.
Figure 7: Sample processing unit in a vessel waste collection facility in the Port of Rotterdam.
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3 RESULTS
In Table 2 the sampling results of all sampling events GoConsult was involved in were summarized.
Table 2: Sampling results per vessel.
Vessel name Elusive Endurance
Sampling day 19.06.2011 20.06.2011
Ballast water origin Dublin Dublin
Holding time 5 days 3 days
Sampling time 08:37 – 08:52 09:02 – 09:58
Sample quantity 100 l 100 l
Water temperature 15.7 °C 16.5 °C
Salinity 30.7 PSU 32.2 PSU
Zooplankton total 4167 ind/m³ 1667 ind/m³
Copepoda 1667 ind/m³ 333 ind/m³
Cypris larvae 1333 ind/m³ 333 ind/m³
Bivalve larvae 333 ind/m³ -
Gastopoda larvae 167 ind/m³ -
Polychaeta 667 ind/m³ 1000 ind/m³
Phytoplankton
PAM F0 105 132
PAM Fv/Fm 0.347 0.317
3.1 MV ELUSIVE
On MV Elusive the number of living zooplankton organisms (above 50 µm in minimum dimension) after the 5
day holding time (i.e. the time between ballast water uptake and sampling) is relatively high. Noting that the
number of living organisms reduces exponentially after a ballast tank was filled, the number of organisms
during ballast water uptake in Dublin harbour must have been relatively high.
The phytoplankton viability is low, which is expected after a 5 day time in the tank without light. However, a
response peak was visible which indicates living cells in the sample.
3.2 MV ENDURANCE
Compared to the previously sampled MV Elusive the number of zooplankton organisms above 50 µm in
minimum dimension was much lower. It is also interesting to note that the no living mollusc larvae were found.
The phytoplankton viability here was similar which may be due to the relatively similar holding time duration
inside the ballast water tank.
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4 DISCUSSION
Different vessels of different types were selected for sampling. As before, the logistics to get the sampling team
to the vessel and the vessel schedules are challenging. During these sampling occasions it went very smoothly
with an unexpectedly short waiting time of the sampling team in the port.
4.1 SAMPLING ONBOARD
Sampling access on the different vessels was different. On MV Elusive with the water overflow on deck it was
the easiest to reach larger water volumes for sampling. On the second vessel (MV Endurance) the hand-pump,
previously used in the German shipping study, was operated. This approach takes at least for times as long as
to get to the required sample water volumes compared to the on-deck overflow.
The various sampling access points highlight the need for a flexible approach when planning to sample vessels.
At best the sampling team should be prepared to sample via the three main sampling access points:
Opened manholes,
Sounding pipes, and
On-deck overflow (e.g. tank overflow or fire-fighting system).
An additional sampling point occurs usually near the ballast water pump in the engine room. On several vessels
water may be extracted at the pump pressure meter. However, only very small volumes of less than a few litres
may be sampled this way. For this study this would not have been sufficient.
4.2 ORGANISMS
The number and type of organisms is as expected in this time of the season.
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5 CONCLUSIONS
This sampling effort is considered as a very successful event. The vessel timing was very convenient and
reliable.
It remains impossible to plan the sampling trip in advance in such a detail that the sampling team knows the
sample access points before boarding. Therefore it is suggested that the sampling team is equipped to conduct
the samplings by using different sample access points, i.e. they should be ready to sample via sounding pipes,
open manholes and/or during on-deck overflow. In addition samples may also be taken in the engine room.
However, here water discharge, especially when planning to sample larger volumes of water, is difficult or even
impossible.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The sampling team is very grateful for all assistance provided by NIOZ when organizing ship appointments for
sampling in Rotterdam. Further thanks are expressed to the Port Authority of the Port of Rotterdam, various
port gate personnel and especially the vessel crews and representatives of the relevant shipping lines. Without
their support this sampling would not have been possible at all.