Measures for the Safe

Removal, Collection and

Disposal of Harmful Antifouling Systems
Edward Kleverlaan
IMO-Technical Officer

Bangkok, Thail

Introduction
Issues - general
Article 5 of the
AFSC
Look at :

Removal techniques
Collection
techniques
Disposal / Treatment
methods

Summary
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Shipyard facilities

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Shipyard facilities:
Activities of concern
Vessel repair and

maintenance
Fueling
Painting
Paint stripping
Public access and
recreation
Building/grounds
maintenance
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Chemical storage
and handling
Ship liquid
discharges
Ship breaking
Cargo handling

Shipyard facilities:
potential sources of
contaminants
Underground and
Older facilities
above ground
storage tanks
Chemical storage
Spills and leaks
Solid waste

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through which
seepage can occur
Non-maintained
facilities

Shipyard facilities: potential

discharges
Hazardous waste
Anti-fouling systems
Biocides

Solid Waste

Dry and liquid bulk

Bilge Water
Ballast Water
Cleaning agents
Nutrients

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Liquid waste
Hydro blast streams
Anti-fouling outwash

Storm water
discharge

Fuel and hydraulic

leaks

Oil
Sewage
Particulate matter
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Types of coatings
Pesticide based:

TBT
Copper
Arsenic
Mercury
PCBs

Pesticide free
Silicone
Epoxy

Ablative

Self-polishing

Non-ablative
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ARTICLE 5 - Waste
Materials
.a Party shall take

appropriate measures in
its territory to require that
wastes from the application
or removal of anti-fouling
system controlled in Annex
1 be collected, handled,
treated, and disposed of in
a safe and environmentally
sound manner to protect
human health and the
environment

Bangkok, Thail

Main AFSC Issues

Increased paint

removals/overcoats by
AFSC ban of use of
TBT by September 2008

Worker Health issues:

Increased (gases, dust,

aerosols)

Problems with removal

of fouling organisms,
paint residues, paint
chips, and grit increase

Handling and long term

disposal of hazardous
substances

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1.1 Bio-fouling

Biofoulants The actual biofoulant

organisms can pose a threat of
pollution from:

TBT or other pesticide contamination

Increased Biological Oxygen Demand
(BOD) if dumped in the sea
Non-Indigenous Species

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1.2 Contaminated dust and

particles
Cleaning of vessel

bottoms creates
dust and paint
particles whatever
the coating
Need to contain the
dust
Need to treat the
wastes produced
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1.3 Contaminated water

Contaminated water
must be contained
Sumps
Berms

Contaminated water
must be treated

Treatment systems can be

expensive and complex
But basic solids control is
not expensive

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Examples of poor collection

and treatment

Lack of proper containment during antifouling paint

removal can result in deleterious substances being
released into the aquatic environment.

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1.4 Aerosols, dust and grit

Environmental health issues
Contact, breathing

Safety of Workers
Spray, grit

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2 Best Management
Practice
Definition: Good
Housekeeping

conduct everyday
activities in a more
ecologically-sound
and safe manner:
keeping pollutants
out of surface waters
and ground waters,
and, recognizing that
total containment
and recovery is not
always practical.

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2.1 Best Management

Practices
BMPs fall into two general groups:
Source-control (e.g., vessel shrouding,
sweeping, covering waste piles, and
bermed storage for wastes and paints)
and
Collection, filtration and treatment (e.g.,
hull washwater settling tanks and filters)
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2.1 Main Techniques

Removal techniques
Scraping
Blasting
Grit
Water

Collection

Techniques
Sumps
Berms

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2.1.1 Hull Biofoulant Removal

The primary processes for removal

of hull biofoulants are scraping and

pressure washing.
Hand Scraping using large flatbladed scrapers, generally has a slow
production rate, and is only suited for
working on small areas

Mechanical Scraping Many types of

mechanical scrapers have been
developed that clean the hull down to
the surface of the coating
Bangkok, Thail
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2.1.2 Hull Biofoulant Removal

Pressure Washing

Low-Pressure (<1,000 psi) Water

Washing useful in removing

slime and other low adhesion
biofoulants
High-Pressure (1,000 5,000 psi)
Water Washing is very effective in
removing low and high adhesion
biofoulants
Pressure Washing with Chemical
Additives increases the
effectiveness of biofoulant removal

Bangkok, Thail

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2.1.3 Management of
Biofouling Waste
Removed fouling organisms should be

collected for disposal

Sweep, vacuum , biofouling organisms
and deposit in containers for disposal
Do not allow biofouling organisms to sit
around the yard in containers it could
cause heath problems and attract pests

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2.2.1 Paint Removal

Dry Abrasive Blasting
Sand abrasives are generally considered to have

the highest emission rates of particulate matter

Slag abrasives
Furnace Slag (possible PAH Contamination)
Smelter Slag (possible Metal Contamination)
Mineral abrasives, such as garnet, are mined and
processed into abrasives
Metallic abrasives include iron and steel shot and
grit
Alternative types of abrasives
glass abrasive
dry-ice

Bangkok, Thail

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2.2.2 Blasting Grit media

choice
Some rules-of-thumb for media
selection:

Choose the least aggressive media. This will

result in less wear and lower equipment
maintenance expense.
Use the smallest media particle size - more
effective. More impacts per second will yield
a faster process.
Find the lowest blast pressure. This offers
the benefits of energy savings in reduced
compressed air requirements, as well as
less wear and lower maintenance costs.
Bangkok, Thail
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2.2.3 Blasting Types - 1

Compressed Air Dry Abrasive Blasting

process has highest pollutant emission

rates, particulate released directly to the air,
and the abrasive is not reused

Slurry Blasting uses water instead of air as

the medium to accelerate the abrasive. air

emissions greatly reduced due to the
water-curtain effect, the pollutants not
eliminated, but transferred from one media
(air) to another (water)

Bangkok, Thail

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2.2.3 Blasting Types - 2

Open-Loop Dry Abrasive Blasting processes abrasive is reused outside loop.

Depending upon type of abrasive being used and

the use of an abrasive cleaning process prior to
reuse, the particulate emission rates can be
significantly decreased or increased.

Closed-Loop Dry Abrasive Blasting processes

continuously contain both the abrasive and
the particulate emissions with the blasting
system.

Lowest emission rates of dry abrasive systems

and prevents contamination of the dry-dock floor
with spent abrasive
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2.2.4 Management of spent

grit

Avoid spent abrasive and dust to re-suspend in the air

by wind, or transport by runoff to the surface waters.

Reduce the amount of pollutants that reach the

environmental media of concern by increasing the

cleaning frequency to remove accumulated abrasive
and dust prior to exposure to rainfall and/or other
sources of runoff.

Covered Dumpsters/Bins Covering dumpsters and

bins being used to store spent abrasive prior to

transport to a storage or containment area prevents
the re-suspension of dust.

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2.2.5 Reduce and recycle

spent grit

Clean all deck surfaces of spent grit (by

sweeping, brushing, shovelling and

vacuuming) prior to submersion.
Clean and collect spent grit from yard areas
at the end of the work shift
Filter or provide collectors around yard
drains to prevent flushing of spent grit into
the storm water runoff or sewer system
Recycling of spent abrasive for use as an
aggregate material in the production of
asphalt and cement clinker.
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2.3.1 Management of Paint

Chips (TBT)
Difficult to separate grit from paint
chips
Continuous cleaning of the yard
surface and containment of the
waste paint will help reduce
contamination of the water.

Bangkok, Thail

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2.4 Waste Water

Water management is probably the

largest waste stream

Recovery and reuse of water can have
a significant reduction on pollution
loadings
Percent recovery of liquid waste
stream (volume of water used/volume
of water disposed)
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2.4.1 Collection of Hull Waste Water

Collect hull washwater and remove all visible
solids before discharging to a sewer or
receiving waters. Inspect and clean all sumps,
filters and/or screens regularly
Avoid any high pressure washing of hull unless
prior clean-up of the dock floor, lift platform, or
yard surface is completed.
Various treatment systems are available to
remove the contaminants from hull washwater.
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2.4.2 Collection of Hull Waste

Water
Option 1 - Very Low concentrations of suspended
solids and/or organics (e.g. storm water),

collected wastewater can be pumped and disposed of

directly into the sanitary sewer system.

Option 3- If the volume of wastewater is relatively

small and contains a high concentration of solids,

the wastewater can be directly processed by a
mechanical filter system.

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2.4.3 Collection of Hull Waste

Water
Option 2 - usually applicable to ship and boat building
and repair facilities with large volumes of wastewater
containing high concentrations of solids.
An engineered holding settling tank system is an important
component of the treatment system. The settling tank is
designed to remove most of the solids.
After treatment, the clarified effluent or overflow from the
holding/settling tank can be discharged into the sewer
system.
The settled sludge can be further processed by dewatering
through a mechanical filter and then disposed of at an
approved facility.

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Waste Water Treatment

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Travel Lift System

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Marine Railway System

Bangkok, Thail

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Drydock

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2.4.3 Add On Controls for

drydocks
Drydock/ground liquid
barriers

impervious barrier, may be

temporary or permanent,
prevents contact of the waste
stream with the ground or
floor of the drydock, contains
the waste stream until it can
be removed

Filter System/Barrier

barrier that filters the waste

stream as it flows from the
drydock

Bangkok, Thail

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2.5 Treatment Technology

No off-the-shelf technology that will reduce
TBT levels in water to below safe-levels (less
than 30-50 parts per trillion, ie 50ng/l)
Unproven technology such as Dissolved Air
Floatation, and Activated Carbon Adsorption
are the best candidates to destroy TBT in waste
streams
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2.6 Alternates
Alternative processes include the use
of oxidizers (hydrogen peroxide and
ozone) and the use of UV light to
degrade TBT in wastewaters
Heat agitation and organic solvents
to separate TBT from water are also
used.
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2.7 Treatment with

activated sludge
TBT

will attach to organic material and bind

loosely.
Treats

up to 20 tonnes of effluent per hour.

Concentrating the TBT into a small volume of oil
which can be safely incinerated or re-used.
Industrial

waste streams from shipyards have

measured TBT levels as high as 480,000 ng/L,
which is known to be sufficient to kill the
bacteria in activated sludge (Argaman et al,
1984)
Bangkok, Thail

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2.8 Floating Treatment Plant

System developed
in 1999
Waste separation
and carbon treatment
TBT < 50 ng/l

Bangkok, Thail

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3.1 Summary Removal

Methods

Removal of paint and fouling

organisms can be performed in a

number of ways

Abrasive Grit
High pressure Hydroblasting
Ultra high pressure Hydroblasting
Mechanical removal (scraping)

What is the best way?

Ultra high pressure is currently
Bangkok,
Thail
recommended

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3.2 Summary
Treatment/Disposal
Waste treatment is possible at high
cost
Treat to the level that can be
achieved practically and
economically
Good housekeeping is the key to
waste reduction.
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3.3 Summary
Contamination Sources

Fouling organisms- living and dead

Paint Chips
Grit
Spraying

Reduction of waste and treatment

Use Best Management Practice for source
reduction, collection and treatment
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4 Summary
REMEMBER

Keep it practical and safe for workers

Containment: primary step in waste management
Recycling: further step in reduction of waste and
overall cost for treatment/disposal
Untreated hazardous waste TBT and other
biocidal paint chips: special waste to land sites or
treated by purpose built systems

THANK YOU

Bangkok, Thail

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