A new international accord aimed at stopping the global spread of alien aquatic organisms carried in ships’ ballast waters was recently adopted at a conference in London.

The International Conference on Ballast Water Management, which took place from 9-13 February 2004, represented the culmination of over ten years of work by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on a ballast water convention. Agreement was reached on issues concerning global standards for ballast water exchange and treatment, additional measures a Party can undertake, ballast water exchange areas, and provisions for entry into force. The conference further adopted several resolutions pertaining to the future work of the IMO, reviewing standards, and technical cooperation and assistance.
The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, which will enter into force 12 months after ratification by 30 States, representing 35 percent of the world’s merchant shipping tonnage, is divided into Articles, and an Annex that includes technical standards and requirements in the Regulations for the control and management of ships’ ballast water and sediments. The convention will require all ships to implement a Ballast Water and Sediments Management Plan, carry a Ballast Water Record Book and conduct ballast water management procedures to certain standards. These requirements will also extend to existing ships following a phase-in period. Parties to the Convention have the option of taking on additional measures, subject to criteria and guidelines that are yet to be developed.
According to WWF, which has been working with the IMO for several years on this issue, over 4000 species such as plankton, algae, fish and jellyfish, are estimated to travel around the world everyday through ballast water, which is loaded and stored in a ship’s hull to provide stability for its voyage. When a ship arrives at its destination, this water together with the organisms and pathogens it carries is released into surrounding waters, threatening marine life in their new environment and bringing diseases to humans living near that environment.
There are currently many documented cases of harm caused to marine environments by invasive species from ballast water. The comb jellyfish from North America has devastated fish stocks, fisheries and native species including dolphins in the Black and Azov Seas. The Asian kelp has replaced native seagrasses in Australia, destroying the nursing and feeding grounds for many commercial fish and shellfish, while alien algae have caused toxic red-tides in the Philippines. According to Reuters, the US has spent about $140 billion dealing with the damage caused by invasive species to marine life. Globalization and increase in trade and shipping traffic volumes have been implicated in the spread of such invasive organisms. More information is available from: the IMO website: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=848&doc_id=3475 and WWF’s marine newsroom: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=11262