Ballast Water Management: Environmental Impact

Lecture 6: Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM, 2004)

• Ballast water introduces harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens into new environments.
• It is one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans along with: land-sourced marine pollution, overexploitation of living marine resources, and destruction of habitat.
• Organisms are introduced through ballast water.
• Approximately 7000 species are transported around the world each day in ships' ballast water.
• 10 billion tonnes of ballast water transported per year.
• This would fill around 4 million Olympic sized pools.
• There is one new invasion every 9 weeks.
• 80% of world trade is carried by ships.
• 2.4 billion people live within 100km of the coast.

Ballast Water's Impact on the Environment and Invasive Species

• Ballast water impacts the environment when the ballast water is discharged and the organisms are released into new environments
• If suitable conditions exist in this release environment, these species will survive and reproduce and become invasive species.
• Invasive species are harmful to natural resources, i.e. fish, wildlife, and plants.
• Invasive species disrupt natural communities and ecological processes.
• Invasive can outcompete the native species for food, habitats and can sometimes even cause their extinction.
• The volume and speed of global trade means ballast water and species transfer in movement is increasing.
• Examples of species introduced to SF Bay as a result of ballast water discharge include: Palaemon macrodactylus, Tridentiger barbatus, and Philine auriformis.
• Examples of invasive species causing problems include: zebra mussels in the Great Lakes, dinoflagellates causing red tides in Australia, cholera bacteria in South America, and green crabs.

The Ballast Water Cycle

• At the source port, ballast water is loaded while cargo is discharged.
• During the voyage, the ballast tanks remain full while the cargo hold remains empty.
• At the destination port, cargo is loaded and the ballast water is discharged.
• During the voyage, the ballast tanks empty and the cargo hold becomes full.

Establishment of the BMW Convention, 2004

• IMO initiated negotiations in 1992 to address the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in ships' ballast water.
• This took place at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
• The Ballast Water Working Group, established by the MEPC in 1994, prepared a free-standing Convention on ship ballast water and sediments.
• The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 called for action to address invasive aquatic species in ballast water.
• In November 2002, the Council approved the Diplomatic Conference convening in 2004.
• In December 2003, the decision of the Council was endorsed.
• The International Conference on Ballast Water Management for Ships was held at IMO's Headquarters in London from 9th-13th February 2004.
• The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention) was adopted with four conference resolutions on 13 February 2004 and EIF on 8 September 2017.

Convention

• The convention consists of Articles 1-22 and the following annexes: regulations A-1 to E-5 (15 pages), appendix I form of International BWM Certificate, and appendix II ballast water record book.

Important Convention Articles

• Article 2 outlines general obligations to fully implement the provisions for prevention, minimization, and elimination of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens.
• This is done through the control and management of ships' ballast water and sediments.
• Article 5 ensures sediment reception facilities are available at ports and terminals where ballast tanks are cleaned or repaired.
• Article 6 promotes scientific and technical research and monitoring of ballast water management.
• It also seeks to monitor the effects of ballast water management in waters under their jurisdiction.
• Article 7 requires ships to be surveyed and certified for ballast water management.
• Article 9 states ships may be inspected by port State control officers who can verify a valid certificate, inspect the Ballast Water Record Book, and sample the ballast water.
• Article 10 states all ships in international traffic must manage ballast water and sediments to a standard according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan.
• All ships must also carry a ballast water record book and an international ballast water management certificate.

Requirements of BMW 2004

• The BWM Convention includes two performance standards for the discharge of ballast water: D1 and D2.
• The D1 standard concerns ballast water exchange, the exchange must be undertaken within open ocean areas, >200nm from land and in seas >200m deep.
• The D2 standard covers approved ballast water treatment systems, this system (BWTS) is designed to remove and destroy/inactive biological organisms, i.e. zooplankton, algae, bacteria.
• Ballast water management standards will be phased in.
• As an interim solution, ships should exchange ballast water mid-ocean, and will have to install an on-board ballast water treatment system.
• Ships unable to conduct ballast water exchange, should attempt to do so as far as possible from land.
• You must be at least 50 nautical miles from the nearest land in water at least 200 metres in depth.
• Other ballast water management methods may be accepted if they ensure the same level of protection and are approved by the IMO.
• The ballast water management convention does not apply to permanent ballast water in sealed tanks in ships that is not subject to discharge, ships not designated or constructed to carry ballast water, and ships of a party which only operate in waters under the jurisdiction of that party.
• It also doesn't apply to any warship, naval auxiliary or other ship owned or operated by a State and used, for the time being, only on government and non-commercial service.
• Ships of a party which only operate in waters under the jurisdiction of another party, this is subject to the authorization of the latter party for such exclusion.
• Finally, it doesn't apply to ships which only operate in waters jurisdiction of one party and on the high seas.