The
leader of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Secretary General William O'Neil stated today that invasive marine species are one of the four greatest threats to the world's oceans. One of the biggest
vectors of invasive species is ballast water carried port to port via ships. Recent totals indicate 12 billion tons of ballast water is transferred annually. Estimates of 4,500
potentially invasive species of plants and animals are carried in ballast water at any one time. Ecological, environmental and pathogenic risks have been identified stemming directly from ballast water.
Ship owners are not unaware of these facts. The IMO adopted voluntary guidelines in 1997 and the Ballast Water Working Group is working towards a convention.
However, ports of the world have not waited for unilateral IMO guidelines. They insist, through increasingly strenuous legislation, that ship owners treat their
ballast water to levels unreachable in currently acceptable technologies.
Enter the First International Ballast Water (BW) Treatment R&D Symposium. For
two days, experts from all over the globe have gathered to detail the status of current BW technologies being researched. Under the guidance of the Global
Ballast Water Management Program, over 200 marine scientists, engineers, biologists, ship designers and other experts in marine fields are finding out which technologies look viable and which are far from completion.
Right from the start, keynote speaker Alec Bilney of the shipping group ICS (International Chamber of Shipping) set down priorities that experts must understand. Sp
eaking from a shipper's perspective, Bilney outlined key points that
the Maritime industry must have in any BW treatment option.
Bilney stressed issues that needed to be answered by each delegate with a potential BW treatment technology. The technology
must be (1) reliable in a maritime situation and (2) cost effective appropriate to the needs of the operator.
In terms of reliability, Bilney said the BW equipment must be rugged, able to
withstand the high demands of a shipboard environment. Treatment technologies cannot be overly technical either. "The demands upon crew workload are already
very high," and Bilney noted a viable option must come with minimal crew intervention.
Bilney outlined other issues, more appropriately directed to potential legislating
bodies. He indicated that BW processes need to be acceptable to all port authorities. "The industry needs uniformity in the expectations of port authorities"
he said. The industry also requires a standard of certification uniformly acceptable by the world's port nations. Lastly he hoped that a wide range of processes become
available and a "toolbox of methods" arise out of the many R&D studies currently underway.
Following Bilney's stirring address, other speakers addressed goals for the
symposium. Dr. Thomas Waite of the University of Miami said the group could provide answers to the question "What is the best recommended treatment?" To do
so, he believes BW treatment standards need to be established by regulating authorities. "R&D can't deliver BW treatment technologies until the basic guidelines are established," he said.
Dennis Patterson, the founding chairman of IMO's Ballast Water Working Group countered with an important point. Regulatory authorities such as IMO must
devise standards. However, they cannot make standards without knowing what technologies are available and what their limitations are. The R&D community
wants standards, but paradoxically, such guidelines cannot be established until R&D comes up with technologies. This creates a "chicken or the egg situation." He
hoped the symposium would provide many of the answers sought by IMO and others.
Upon completion of the symposium, CQD Journal for the Maritime Environment Industry will outline the technologies presented.
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