HEALTH & SAFETY 30 | telegraph | nautilusint.org | September 2011


PML Applications — a subsidiary of Plymouth Marine Laboratory — is involved in addressing the issues surrounding the introduction of new laws on ballast water. In this article, Nautilus member David Smith, of PML, outlines the complexity and scale of the problem and looks at the mitigation measures that the new directives seeks to introduce, along with their implications for seafarers…


David Smith is the technical manager at Plymouth Marine Laboratory


Why ballast poses a weighty problem


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As the shipping world gathers in Singapore later this year for the Asia Green Ship tech- nology conference, the issues surround-


ing ships’ ballast water are climbing higher on the agenda. The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO)


2004 International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast water and Sediments was prompted by the growing evidence of the dam- age being caused by invasive aquatic species (IAS) and, while it has been many years in the making, its ratifi cation is now drawing inexorably nearer. This treaty represents a step change in the man-


agement of ships’ ballast water, and while its inten- tions are benefi cial, for ship operators and crews it presents signifi cant potential for disputes, ship


detentions, cancelled freight contracts and locally imposed contravention fi nes. In the marine environment, IAS are contained within the plankton, eggs and larvae which are taken onboard ships during ballast water operations. Sub- sequently, they may be transported across oceans — eventually being discharged into different biore- gions where the local environmental conditions may cause them to either perish or occasionally thrive in great numbers to the detriment of incumbent spe- cies and local habitats. What may not be generally known is that IAS are


internationally recognised as one of the four greatest threats to the world’s oceans along with: zsources of marine pollution zover-exploitation of living marine resources


water carried around the world as part of normal marine operational processes. The opportunity for such species transportation is further enhanced by the scale of international ballast water movement — estimated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to be in the region of 10bn tonnes annually. The IMO ballast water convention embodies the global response to the IAS problem. It has been some 20 years in the making since the introduction of vol- untary guidelines for ships’ ballast control in the early 1990s. It will enter into force 12 months after ratifi cation by 30 national states representing 35% of the world merchant shipping tonnage. At the end of May this year, 28 states representing 25% of the required global tonnage had signed up. The percentage is the most signifi cant fi gure as there are many major shipowning nations still to accede. It will, however, only take endorsement by a few of the larger maritime countries to trigger enact- ment. This could occur in the coming year and the convention may well be ratifi ed and in force by 2013.


This incident in 2002 was blamed on a ballasting problem Picture: US Coast Guard


zphysical alteration or destruction of marine habi- tats


There are numerous well documented cases


where identifi ed marine species incursions have impacted on local ecologies with resultant dire consequences for both the health and wealth of the receiving coastal and inland waterway areas. Three of the more infamous cases are the zebra


mussel invasion of the Great Lakes, the comb jel- lyfi sh spread into the Caspian Sea and the Peruvian cholera outbreak in 1991.


As some 90% of modern global trade relies on shipping, IAS are inextricably linked to the ballast


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At present there is an ever-growing list of national and regional authorities which already demand that ships entering their


waters carry out deepsea ballast water exchange (BWE) as a condition of allowing them to empty their tanks into port areas. Whilst BWE may have become a normal accepted practice for ships operating between many of these ports and regions, it can have catastrophic results if not managed correctly — as in the case of the Cougar Ace. BWE is regarded by the IMO as only an interim IAS mitigation measure and is due to be phased out within specifi c target dates set out in the conven- tion.


Regulation B-3 of the convention requires certain ships constructed during or after 2009 to be fi tted with ballast water treatment (BWT) systems. The stated intention is that all ships shall be so equipped by 2016.


Invasive species carried by ballast water, including the Comb Jellyfi sh, Zebra Mussel, Green Crab, and the bacterial pathogen Vibrio cholerae


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