The GEF-UNDP -IMO GloBallast Partnerships has sent out an invitation for papers to be presented and discussed during its 6th R&D Forum and Exhibition on Ballast Water Management, to be held in Montreal, Canada, from 16 to 18 March 2016.

Candidates should send abstracts no later than 15 January 2016, with the following conditions:  maximum 250 words in English language and include objectives, results and conclusions. Papers should focus on the latest developments in one of the following topics:

• Treatment technologies and alternative management options
• Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement
• Regional approaches, risk assessments and exemptions
• Financing capacity building
• Technology testing and approval

All abstracts will be reviewed by an international scientific committee and authors will be notified of the acceptance by 29 January 2016. The full paper should be submitted by 26 February 2016 for inclusion in the Forum proceedings. Since a large number of abstracts are expected to be submitted to this IMO-GloBallast flagship event, the deadlines will be strictly followed.

For more information and to submit your abstract, please visit www.ballast2016.com

Following five successful Global R&D Fora in the past, IMO-GloBallast is bringing this flagship IMO event to Montreal, Canada.

The IMO-GloBallast R&D Forum is organized every two years and is one of the most important international conferences on BWM. It aims at bringing together regulatory bodies, the maritime industry, academia, leading scientific experts and technology development leaders in the field of ships’ ballast water management for a comprehensive overview of this rapidly expanding area of research and development and technology commercialization.

This sixth edition will focus on: “BWM Convention: Moving towards implementation” and will be held at the Headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), located in Montreal, Canada, from 16 to 18 March 2016. The purpose of the Forum and Exhibition is to share the latest developments and practical answers for ballast water management issues among global participants.

For registration and more information visit www.ballast2016.com

The science-based management and governance of shared transboundary marine ecosystems is the focus of a wide-ranging collection of stories published in a new publication, From Coast to Coast: Celebrating 20 Years of Transboundary Management of Our Shared Oceans, launched during Oceans Day, being held on the sidelines of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris.

From Coast to Coast showcases the GEF IW large marine ecosystem and coastal area management portfolio, particularly how it has contributed to: 1) improved global and regional cooperation (e.g. conventions, commissions) in addressing priority transboundary water issues; and 2) improved ecosystem health and services and human wellbeing by addressing particular trans-boundary concern and through improved governance at regional, national and local levels.

The publication may be downloaded from www.thegef.org/gef/node/11525

During the 29th Assembly of the International Maritime Organization, Morocco, Indonesia and Ghana presented their instruments of accession to the Ballast Water Management Convention. The case of Ghana is especially satisfactory for the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnership Programme because it is one of its 15 Lead Partnering Countries.

With the latest ratifications, there are now 47 Contracting States to the BWM Convention. The IMO has announced that it is recounting the world gross tonnage with the latest 2015 figures and will shortly update the status of the Treaty.

The GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships is pleased to announce the publication of two new translations of the GloBallast Monograph series:

• GloBallast Monograph No 21: Identifying and Managing Risks from Organisms Carried in Ships’ Ballast Water, has been published in Arabic language. The Monograph was originally published in English in 2013 and this translation has been prepared through collaboration between the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme and PERSGA.
• GloBallast Monograph No 22: Guidance on Port Biological Baseline Surveys (PBBS) has been published in Arabic and Spanish language. This Monograph was originally published in 2014 and prepared through collaboration between the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme, the International Ocean Institute (IOI), the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Goa, India, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Monographs can be downloaded from the Publications section.

IMO’s Stefan Micallef opened the International Forum on Ballast Water Management Technical Cooperation 2015, in Busan, Republic of Korea (3-4 November). The Forum focused on type approval of ballast water management systems and the ongoing revision of the Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8). The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has published its 2014 Annual Report. It provides an overview of the Secretariat’s activities in support of its Members and highlights key activities such as the Natural Solutions for Island Resilience Campaign.  The report is available at www.sprep.org

Two training workshops on sampling and analysing ballast water were organized in Gebze, Turkey (2-4 June), and Duluth, USA (19-21 October).  Attending the workshops were Port State Control officers and marine biologists representing the Lead Partnering Countries (LPCs) of the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme (GloBallast). The training focused on shipboard sampling followed by practical laboratory analysis of the sampled ballast water. It aims to equip participants with the skills to replicate the training at a national level.

All stakeholders involved in the testing, approval, fitting and operation of ballast water management systems (BWMS) are being invited to complete online surveys, as a part of an IMO study to assess the implementation of the BWMS approval guidelines and the performance of type-approved systems. The study is being carried out by the IMO Secretariat in partnership with the World Maritime University (WMU) and its outcome will be reported to MEPC 69 in spring 2016.

The study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the technical standards and approval testing procedures in the Guidelines for approval of ballast water management systems (G8), initiated by IMOs Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) at its 67th session in October 2014. The intention is to address concerns that the testing regime for approval of BWMS needs to be sufficiently robust and consistent, so that approved systems will meet the standards set out in the BWM Convention.

The surveys can be accessed from this site and will remain open until 1 June 2015. The following are invited to participate: Administrations and associated agencies; test facilities, organizations and independent experts; BWMS developers, manufacturers and vendors; classification societies; ship owners and operators; flag State and port State control inspectors; and other relevant experts, consultants or organizations.

EBRD, in collaboration with Royal HaskoningDHV and in partnership with GloBallast, have developed specific material for BWM Infrastructure Investment, including a guidance document , a poster and a presentation.  The publications provide guidance to investment teams on BWM infrastructure and its assessment for potential inclusion in a broader financial product and assist investment teams to identify and appraise practical and viable BWM implementation measures to be incorporated into an overall Financial Investment Decision (FID).