The newly formed Global Industry Alliance aims to prevent marine bio-invasions caused by ships’ ballast water
London
— A Global Industry Alliance (GIA) was launched today at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
in London, to tackle the threats of marine bio-invasions caused by the transfer of alien plants and animals in ships’ ballast
tanks. Ballast water is carried in cargo ships to provide needed stability. It is taken onboard at the start of every trip
an unladen ship makes and then pumped out on arrival.
The Alliance, made up of an innovative partnership between the
International Maritime Organization (IMO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
and four major private shipping corporations, aims to harness the different skills and expertise brought by these groups in
order to develop concrete solutions to this global environmental hazard.
IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos,
who exchanged Memoranda of Understanding with the four companies, said he would like to see the GIA serving as a model for
more such alliances, “all embracing the goals of corporate social responsibility and addressing the many safety, security
and environmental protection issues that characterize today’s shipping industry,” he said.
According to IMO’s findings,
an estimated 10 billion tonnes of ballast water are being carried around the globe each year, and more than 3,000 species
of plants and marine organisms are being transferred daily. As a result, a serious environmental threat has developed, caused
by the introduction of exotic species to new ecosystems threatening biodiversity, fisheries and aquaculture. The damage done
by these alien species is costing the world billions of dollars.
“The scope of this achievement should not be underestimated;
I rank the responsiveness of the international community to this issue as one of the world’s best examples of international
cooperation on a global environmental issue, on par with how the world took decisive steps to address ozone-depleting substances
through the Montreal Protocol,” said Andrew Hudson, UNDP’s expert on water governance.
In many areas of the world,
the effects of it have been devastating since once these invasive species are established they are extremely difficult to
eradicate. For example, the introduction of the comb jelly (mnemiopsis leidyi) to the Black and Azov Sea caused a near extinction
of anchovy and sprat fisheries and the introduction of the zebra mussel (dreissena polymorpha) in the Great Lakes required
multibillion dollar control and cleaning of underwater structures and pipelines.
Recognizing the significance
of the global environmental threat from ballast water transfer of such harmful species, the international community has developed
a regulatory framework for ballast water management, culminating in the adoption of the International Convention for the Control
and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments by IMO member States in 2004.
The problem is due largely to
the expansion of seaborne trade and traffic over the last century. When cargo ships are not loaded, they pump water into their
ballast tanks in order to maintain stability on their way to pick up cargo. Once the ships are loaded with heavy cargo, they
discharge the water from within the ship into the sea or ocean. Alien and potentially harmful invasive species are released
with the discharged water. So far, very little of this ballast water is being managed in a way that minimizes the spread of
these marine invaders and new invasions are being recorded at an alarming rate.
The Alliance will contribute to
research and development of cost effective ballast water treatment technologies that can be fitted onboard ships. In addition,
it will assist with exploring new ship design options such as 'flow thru' ballast tanks and ‘ballast-free ships’. The Alliance
aims to promote the transfer and diffusion of technology within the industry by opening a ballast water information exchange
mechanism, developing training tools targeted at the maritime industry and establishing an industry dialogue forum.
The agreement signed today forming the GIA was initiated by GloBallast Partnerships – a joint initiative founded by IMO,
UNDP and GEF. The Alliance is hosted by IMO in London. To date, four major shipping corporations - APL, BP Shipping, Daewoo
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, and Vela Marine International – have signed on to this partnership. More shipping corporations
have expressed their interest to join.
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The International Maritime Organization
is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of
marine pollution by ships. IMO has 168 Member States and three Associate Members.
Website: www.imo.org
GloBallast Partnerships and GIA: http://globallast.imo.org
UNDP
is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience
and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions
to global and national development challenges. www.undp.org
UNDP International Waters:
http://www.undp.org/gef/05/portfolio/iw.html
