Alliance tackles ballast water threat

A Global Industry Alliance (GIA) has been launched to tackle the threats of marine bio-invasions caused by the transfer of alien plants and animals in ship ballast tanks. The Alliance, made up of a partnership between the IMO, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and four major private shipping corporations, aims to harness the different skills and expertise brought by these groups in order to develop concrete solutions to this global environmental hazard.

Recognizing the significance of the global environmental threat from ballast water transfer of harmful species, the international community has developed a regulatory framework for ballast water management, culminating in the adoption of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments by IMO member States in 2004.

So far, very little of this ballast water is being managed in a way that minimizes the spread of these marine invaders and new invasions are being recorded at an alarming rate. The Alliance will contribute to research and development of cost effective ballast water treatment technologies that can be fitted onboard ships. In addition, it will assist with exploring new ship design options such as ‘flow thru’ ballast tanks and ?ballast-free ships?. The Alliance aims to promote the transfer and diffusion of technology within the industry by opening a ballast water information exchange mechanism, developing training tools targeted at the maritime industry and establishing an industry dialogue forum.

The agreement forming the GIA was initiated by GloBallast Partnerships ? a joint initiative founded by IMO, UNDP and GEF. The Alliance is hosted by IMO in London. To date, four major shipping corporations, APL, BP Shipping, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, and Vela Marine International, have signed on to this partnership. More shipping corporations have expressed their interest to join.