Ballast Water Management – Why does it matter?

Hannah Freeman WWT: ‘Last week Finland ratified the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention. The 52nd contracting party tipped the target of 35% world shipping tonnage and triggered entry into force by September 2017.

We’ve been waiting a long time for this, as the convention was adopted way back in 2004 and yet the UK has consistently decided not to sign up or ratify the Convention. Despite this, many UK vessels are likely to have to comply with the convention requirements to trade with signatories of the convention, which include Germany, Russia and the Netherlands.

So what does it matter?

Invasive non-native species are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity world wide. Ballast water helps stabilise empty ships but is discharged at ports and marinas before adding cargo. However, ballast water also transports an estimated 10,000 marine species around the world every day. These include bacteria, microbes, small invertebrates, eggs, cysts and larvae of various species. The transferred species may survive to establish a reproductive population in the host environment, becoming invasive, out-competing native species and multiplying into pest proportions. Ballast water discharge from ships is one of the largest pathways for the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species. Introduction rates have been reported as high as two to three new species per year for Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, Australia and up to one species every nine weeks for San Francisco Bay, California, USA. To read more click here

Hannah Freeman

Member of Link’s Invasive Non Native Species Group and Government Affairs Officer, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. Find Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust on Twitter @WWTWorldwide