Page 25 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 02.18

GREEN PORT ■
discharging cargo
Ballast water intake
Cargo hold empty
Full ballast tanks
loading cargo
Ballast water discharge
Cargo hold full
Empty ballst tanks
Organisms can be carried into other regions in ballast water. Some of these can be invasive types that can adversely affect eco- systems in their new environment
Ballast Water Convention: a milestone in marine environmental protection
Worldwide transport of freight of all kinds by ocean-going ships also causes organisms to be transport- ed with the ballast water in the ship’s tank. These are not listed on bills of lading. They also land such stowaways at points on earth that cannot be numbered among their natural habitats.
What scientists have established in this context is truly astounding: The process of taking on and disposing of ballast water so indispensable for shipping is one of the main causes of the global transfer of species. Ballast water is used to ensure a ship’s stability, which can be affected by weight alterations depending on the status of the cargo, for instance during loading or discharge. In Germany a widely known example of ‘illegal’ immigra- tion of this kind is the Chinese mitten crab, which was already brought from Asia early in the 20th
century in merchant ships’ ballast water and has meanwhile spread far and wide. Living conditions for this crab in Europe are so favourable that it is already found there in rivers too. Algae, mussels, fish and oth- er groups of organisms also appear with ballast water in habitats they have not so far not used, and correspondingly alter these.
To restrict, and if possible prevent, this un-
controlled transfer of alien species on
board ocean-going ships in future, back in
2004 the International Maritime Organisa-
tion – IMO – drafted the International Con-
vention for the Control and Management
of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. Af-
ter 13 years, and numerous negotiations
among IMO member countries, at the be-
ginning of September 2017 the Conven-
tion fortunately came into force. Among
other measures, it lays down the conditions for dis- charge of ballast water and thus puts a stop to its hither- to uncontrolled disposal. In the long term, most vessels will install ballast water treatment systems, for handling this appropriately before its release into the marine envi- ronment. That involves the use of both physical process- es, for example irradiation with ultra-violet light, and chemical ones, amongst them the use of ozone or chlo- rine, to destroy the organisms contained in ballast wa- ter. In addition, mechanical cleaning, for instance with filters, is often activated prior to use of the treatment system itself.
For Monika Breuch-Moritz, President of the German Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), the Ballast Water Convention is a milestone in maritime environ- mental protection. “Organisms can be carried into other regions in ballast water. Some of these can be invasive types that can adversely affect eco-systems in their new environment. The Ballast Water Convention regu- lates control and treatment of ballast water in shipping, to minimize or to banish spread of harmful water organ-
isms and pathogens,” explains Monika Breuch-Moritz. The rules in force since September 2017 lay down that before being released into the marine environment, bal- last water is only acceptable provided that it meets the standard prescribed for the ship concerned. Even if a transitional period is still provided for meeting the strict D-2 standard, all ship newbuilds must observe this. In Germany, the International Ballast Water Convention has already been implemented through the Ballast Wa- ter Act and the Maritime Environment Order. ■
Detailed data is available at: www.deutsche-flagge.de/ de/faq/umweltschutz.
The Chinese mitten crab was already carried from Asia to Europe early in the 20th century
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