Lecture 6: Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention PDF

LECTURE 6  CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF SHIPS' BALLAST WATER AND SEDIMENTS (BWM, 2004);  BACKGROUND The introduction of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens to new environments had been identified as one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans. The other th...

LECTURE 6  CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OF SHIPS' BALLAST WATER AND SEDIMENTS (BWM, 2004);  BACKGROUND The introduction of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens to new environments had been identified as one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans. The other three being: land-sourced marine pollution, overexploitation of living marine resources and destruction of habitat HOW CAN THAT HAPPENED? HOW CAN THE HARMFUL ORGANISMS ARE BEING INTRODUCED?..... THROUGH THE BALLAST WATER !!!  SOME QUESTIONS CONCERNING BALLAST WATER How does ballast water affect the environment? 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. Why are invasive species a problem? Invasive species are harmful to our natural resources (fish, wildlife, plants and overall ecosystem health) because they disrupt natural communities and ecological processes. The invasive species can outcompete the native species for food and habitats and sometimes even cause their extinction.  NUMEROUS INVASIVE SPECIES ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THIS MODE OF INTRODUCTION. Examples include: zebra mussels in the Great Lakes and their negative impacts on commercial and recreational fisheries and damages to city water supplies; dinoflagellates causing red tides and fish kills in Australia and elsewhere; cholera bacteria causing epidemics in South America; green crabs destroying mollusk and crustacean populations in areas it has invaded.  ESTABLISHMENT OF BMW CONVENTION, 2004 IMO initiated negotiations to develop an internationally binding instrument to address the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in ships’ ballast water in the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992,. Therefore, the Ballast Water Working Group, established by the MEPC in 1994, focused on the preparation of a free-standing Convention on control and management of ships’ ballast water and sediments. In 2002 the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for action at all levels to accelerate the development of measures to address invasive aquatic species in ballast water.  At its 89th session in November 2002, the Council approved the convening of the Diplomatic Conference in early 2004. The decision of the Council was endorsed by the 23rd session of the Assembly in December 2003 Then, the International Conference on Ballast Water Management for Ships’ was held at IMO’s Headquarters in London from 9 to 13 February , 2004 Finally, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the Ballast Water Management (BWM)Convention), together with four conference resolutions was adopted on 13 February 2004 and EIF on 8 September 2017.  SOME IMPORTANT ARTICLES IN THE CONVENTION Article 2 - General Obligations. To give full and complete effect to the provisions of the Convention and the Annex in order to prevent, minimize and ultimately eliminate the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens through the control and management of ships' ballast water and sediments. Article 5 - Sediment Reception Facilities. To ensure that ports and terminals where cleaning or repair of ballast tanks occurs, have adequate reception facilities for the reception of sediments. Article 6 - Scientific and Technical Research and Monitoring. To individually or jointly to promote and facilitate scientific and technical research on ballast water management; and monitor the effects of ballast water management in waters under their jurisdiction. Article 7 - Ships are required to be surveyed and certified (Survey and certification) Article 9 - Inspection of Ships. To be inspected by port State control officers who can verify that the ship has a valid certificate; inspect the Ballast Water Record Book; and/or sample the ballast water.  SOME MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OF BMW 2004 Under the Convention, all ships in international traffic are required to manage their ballast water and sediments to a certain standard, according to a ship-specific ballast water management plan. (Regulation B-1). All ships will also have to carry a ballast water record book and an international ballast water management certificate. (Regulation B-2) The BWM Convention includes two performance standards for the discharge of ballast water: D1 and D2. The D1 standard concerns ballast water exchange, which must be undertaken within open ocean areas, >200nm from land and in seas >200m deep. (Regulation B-4) The D2 standard covers approved ballast water treatment systems. Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) is a system designed to remove and destroy/inactive biological organisms (zooplankton, algae, bacteria) from ballast water. The ballast water management standards will be phased in over a period of time. As an intermediate solution, ships should exchange ballast water mid-ocean. Eventually most ships will need to install an on-board ballast water treatment system. From 2024, all ships are required to have approved Ballast Water Management Treatment System, according to the D2 standard  In cases where the ship is unable to conduct ballast water exchange, this should be as far from the nearest land as possible, and in all cases at least 50 nautical miles from the nearest land and in water at least 200 metres in depth. Other methods of ballast water management may also be accepted as alternatives to the ballast water exchange standard and ballast water performance standard, provided that such methods ensure at least the same level of protection to the environment, human health, property or resources, and are approved in principle by IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC).