Talk:Ballast tank

So, what's it do ?
It'd be nice if the article said what their use is, and in the introduction too. Reading on, as concerns submarines, it is explained satisfactorily enough, but as concerns boats, all i now know is that they hold water. I suppose that it is to give a load to an otherwise empty boat ? But then, how does that help her navigate over shoals in rivers ? --Jerome Potts (talk) 23:59, 29 September 2010 (UTC)

I do not think a citation is needed over the comment that ballasting to increase draft may be necessary in order to cover the propeller with water. Anyone who has been past a ship with its screw significantly exposed due to unloading will see the necessity of this. Tony Wallace — Preceding unsigned comment added by 116.90.139.34 (talk) 01:47, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Undue focus on environmental effects
The section on environmental effects goes a bit out of scope considering there is an article Ballast water discharge and the environment which is specifically on that topic. I suggest moving some of the more detailed content to the more focused article and just summarising it in this section, as the scope of this article is nominally about the tanks themselves, so it should concentrate on uses, structure, operation, etc, and while environmental effects should be mentioned in summary form, most of the detailed content should be in the main article. There is already a suitable hatlink. &middot; &middot; &middot; Peter Southwood (talk): 10:07, 19 January 2022 (UTC)

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