ATTACHMENT 20.

Global Ballast Water Management Programme (GloBallast)
Programme Overview & Prevention of Ballast Water
Introductions the Caspian Sea

Steve Raaymakers
Technical Adviser
International Maritime Organization
sraayak@imo.org
http://globallast.imo.org

 1. The Issue

Invasive marine species :

• 1 of 4 greatest threats to the world’s oceans

Other 3 major threats are:

• Land-based sourced of marine pollution.
• Overexploitation of living marine resources
• Habitat alteration and destruction.

Shipping:

• Moves >80% of world’s commodities
• Transfers approximately 12 billion tones of ballast water around the world each year
• May carry 4,500 different species of microbes, plants ad animals at any one time
• Is getting bigger, faster and more frequent

Shipping related vectors of marine organisms include:

• Ballast water
• Hull fouling
• Fouling of anchors, anchor chains, propellers, propeller shaft, water intakes and other surfaces
• Bilge water
• Engine cooling water

Plankton:

• Virtually all marine species have a planktonic stage in their life cycle
• Therefore, can potentially be taken on and transported in ballast water

Impacts of invasive marine species:

• Ecological
• New invasion every 9 weeks
• Whole ecosystems changing
• Biodiversity being lost

• Economical
• Losses in US$ billions globally

• Human health
• People may fall ill and even die from ballast water introductions (pathogens and toxic organisms)

2. The Global Response

1992 UNCED (Agenda 21) called on international community to address the issue:

• IMO provides the international forum
• IMO has a Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) comprising IMO member ciountries
• MEPC develops international marine pollution conventions
• MEPC has a Ballast Water Working Group

IMO Ballast Water Activities:

• Released voluntary ballast water management guidelines in 1993
• Released updated/improved guidelines in 1997 (A.868(20)).
• Developing anew international convention on ballast water management
• Aim to hold Diplomatic Conference in 2003 to adopt new convention.
• Implementing GloBallast programme in developing countries.
• Technical assistance to developing countries to implement IMO voluntary guidelines and prepare for new convention.
• Six demonstration sites (China/Dalian, Brasil/Sepetiba, India/Mumbai, Iran/Kharg Island, South Africa/Saldanha, Ukraine/Odessa)
• Replication in each region

Ships should:

• Minimise uptake of organisms during ballasting
• Avoid areas and times of known outbreaks
• Avoid ballasting in shallow water
• Avoid ballasting at night
• Clean ballast tanks/remove sediments regularly
• Keep records and make reports according to standard IMO format
• Carry a Shipboard Ballast Water Management Plan in accordance with ICS/INTERTAKO Model
• Where relevant, useful, practical and safe, undertake ballast water exchange at sea.

 4. Prevention of further introductions in the Caspian

Closed system with defined entry points.

Theoretically possible to establish a quarantine barrier on the Volga/Don system.

Should aim to address a range of species, not just Mnemiopsis.

Implement relevant parts of IMO 97 Guidelines fro all ships entering the Caspian with ballast:

• Ballast exchange at sea not relevant
• Ballast exchange with fresh water may be useful to exclude marine species
• Implement uptake controls at ballast water source in ports in Black Sea
• Avoid areas and times of known outbreaks
• Avoid ballasting in shallow water
• Avoid ballasting at night

Implement biological surveys and ongoing monitoring at both source and discharge ports

Link survey and monitoring to communication and alerting system.

MUST involve maritime administrations and shipping industry.