Corrosion in ballast tanks

Okay so you know how when you leave your toy cars outside in the rain, they start getting rusty? That's because of something called corrosion. It's like when metal starts breaking down because of water or air or other things that can damage it.

Now imagine a really big metal tank that's carrying a lot of water or other liquids. These are called ballast tanks and they're actually used on big ship boats to help keep the ship steady in the water. But the problem is that over time, the metal in the ballast tank can start getting corroded. This happens because the water in the tank has salt and other stuff in it that can damage the metal.

If the ballast tank gets too corroded, it can become weak and even start leaking. This is bad news for the ship because it can cause problems with steering and even lead to the ship sinking! So it's really important to keep the ballast tanks clean and well-maintained so that they don't get too corroded.