It was in 2004 when the International Maritime Organisation adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the Convention). Adoption of the Convention raised for the UK several issues and/or implementation questions. And to clear these issues the MCA commissioned research on “The Control of the Spread of Non-Indigenous Species through Ballast Water”.
According to MCA this research project was undertaken by the Newcastle University in two related parts: Part A: Identification of the amount and origin of ballast water discharged in UK ports annually; Part B: Ballast water sampling: Methods, analysis and legal issues.
It is fact that the issue of non-indigenous species being transported around the world in ship ballast water has been a recognised problem for the last 15 years. Species that do survive in the ballast tanks have the ability to impact on the aquatic environment by becoming invasive, out-competing native species and multiplying into pest proportions. It can affect the economy of a country as tourism and commercial shellfish and fish industries can be undermined. Public health risks have arisen from shellfish being contaminated by toxic algae and it is possible that the disease Cholera can be transported in ballast water.
It is mentioned that the scope of Part A of the project was limited to identifying the ports in which ballast water is “imported” into the UK and then estimating how much ballast is discharged into those ports.
