Guidelines

In response to this global threat, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ ballast water, to minimise the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens - IMO Assembly Resolution A.868(20). The guidelines recommend a number of measures aimed at:

	Minimising the uptake of organisms during ballasting.
	Minimising the build-up of sediments in ballast tanks, which may harbour organisms.
	Undertaking ballast water management measures, including ballast exchange at sea, to minimise the transfer of organisms.

They also provide for vessel-specific ballast water management plans, record keeping and reporting and port-based management practices. The Guidelines are available on the GloBallast website, http://globallast.imo.org.

Model Management Plan

To assist ships in complying with the IMO Guidelines, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO) have produced a Model Ballast Water Management Plan.
Contact ics@marisec.org

Regulation

IMO member countries are also developing a new international convention to provide a standardised, global regulatory regime for the management of ballast water. Negotiations and drafting are at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that the convention will be adopted in 2003.

Research & Development

In recognition of the safety, operational and environmental limitations of the currently recommended practice of ballast exchange at sea, there are a large number of R&D projects being carried out around the world to develop more effective ballast water treatment methods. Options being considered include:

	Mechanical and physical treatment such as filtration, separation and sterilisation using ozone, ultra-violet light, electric currents and heat treatment.
	Chemical treatment such as adding biocides to ballast water to kill organisms.

All of these possibilities currently require significant further research. Any control measure that is developed must meet a number of criteria, including:

	It must be safe
	It must be environmentally acceptable
	It must be cost-effective.
	It must work

The GloBallast website contains a global directory of ballast water treatment R&D projects.