A GLOBAL Industry Alliance has been launched at the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London to tackle the threat of marine bio-invasions caused by the transfer of alien plants and animals in ships' ballast tanks.
The alliance, formed through a partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and four major private shipping corporations - APL, BP Shipping, Daewoo and Vela Marine International, aims to develop solutions to this hazard.
According to IMO findings, an estimated 10 billion tonnes of ballast water are being carried around the world each year, and more than 3,000 species of plants and animals are being transferred daily.
"As a result, a serious environmental threat has developed, caused by the introduction of alien aquatic plants and animals to new ecosystems, which may not be able to deal with the imported species. The damage done by these alien species is costing the world billions of dollar," the release said.
For example, the comb jelly's arrival in to the Black and Azov Seas caused a near extinction of anchovy and sprat fisheries. The introduction of the zebra mussel in the Great Lakes required multibillion-dollar control and cleaning of underwater structures and pipelines.
Recognising 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 by IMO Member States in 2004 of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments.
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Source: Schednet
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