Ballast water, which is used to stabilize ships, has been a common practice for centuries. Initially, solid materials were used as ballast, but with the advent of steam-powered ships, water became the primary ballast medium. Modern cargo ships can carry thousands of tons of water as ballast to maintain their stability and seaworthiness, reports TT Club.
Importance of Ballast Water Management
Ecological impact
Ballast water which is taken on board by ships to ensure safe operation and maintain stability will often contain a wide variety of microbes, bacteria, small invertebrates, and other marine organisms. As ballast water is discharged at different ports around the globe, relocated marine organisms may establish themselves in the new location and disrupt the existing marine ecosystem. They become an invasive species, displacing the native species and resulting in loss of biodiversity.
Economic impact
Invasive species transported within ballast water that establish themselves and disrupt the existing marine ecosystems can result in significant consequences for the local economy, in particular the local commercial and leisure fishing industry. By competing with native marine species, these invasive marine organisms put an additional drain on food sources and habitats that can result in declining fish stocks and other marine life, impacting the local economy. In addition, invasive species produce a detrimental effect to marine infrastructure by destabilizing embankments and obstructing water intakes/outlet pipes.
Ship operations
Prevention of the transportation of marine organisms is by far the most effective strategy for tackling the risk of introducing invasive species into an existing ecosystem. Prevention is much less costly and more successful than attempting to eradicate an identified invasive species. Affecting 99% of the global fleet, the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention requires vessels to manage their ballast water on every voyage as of September 2024.
- All ships are required to have an approved BWM plan and ballast water record book on board
- All ships of >400 gross tonnes must be surveyed, issued with an International Ballast Water Management Certificate of a Ballast Water Management Certificate of Compliance.
Port operations
Climate change impacts
The well documented changes in climate relating to water temperature and water chemistry can not only affect the assets, infrastructure and operation that are essential to service ports and terminals. It can also have a negative effect on the marine ecosystem by providing conditions for invasive species to thrive and displace native species and should be a consideration in the overall climate change risk assessment for ports and terminals.
Monitoring
Port Biological Baseline Surveys are an important step in the control of the transfer of harmful non-indigenous marine organisms in the ballast tanks of ships from one marine ecosystem to another. A port biological baseline survey is a study of the port’s ecosystem, which identifies the abundance and spreading of invasive species. These surveys, if repeated regularly can provide an important first warning of a potential issue as ports are the likely location for these non-indigenous marine organisms to arrive.
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Source: TT Club
