2nd International Ballast Water Treatment R&D Symposium

In opening the Symposium, the Director of the IMO Marine Environment Division, Mr Koji Sekimizu, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr William O’Neil, stated that during the development of the ballast water Convention, it has been widely recognized that the practice of ballast exchange at sea has many limitations, including serious safety concerns and highly variable biological effectiveness. As an example, approximately 15 new species have invaded the North American Great Lakes since 1993, despite mid-ocean exchange becoming mandatory that year for ships entering the Lakes region. This is the same number of invasions that occurred during the 1970s and 80s, indicating that current management efforts are not completely effective. Overall, the current rate of invasions in the Great Lakes is 66% higher than 100 years ago, and similar trends are recorded in other parts of the world where surveys and monitoring are conducted. Mr Sekimizu stated that it is therefore extremely important that alternative, more effective ballast water treatment methods are developed as soon as possible

Project 2261: Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water (GloBallast Partnerships)

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