Abstract of Ballast Water Management Convention

Ship ballast water management is recognized as one of the big problems of international maritime society. In order to load some harmful microorganisms and pathogens in ballast water, they are shipped and discharged to several waters of the world. This is not only a marine environment of the marine society but also a serious phenomenon of human society. In 2004 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the new treaty "International Convention for the Management and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediment".

Basically, the BWM Convention requires all vessels to implement ballast water and sediment control plans, all ships carry ballast water records and require standard ballast water management procedures. In addition, Parties to the Convention may elect to adopt other measures consistent with the Convention and the standards set out in the IMO guidelines. These guidelines were developed by the IMO member countries from 2005 to 2008 to promote the uniform implementation of ballast water treatment. The above guidelines are as follows ("BWM guide", n.d.).

What is ballast water? To understand the problems caused by ballast water, it is necessary to understand the meaning of "ballast water". According to the IMO Convention, "ballast water refers to water suspended from a ship to control ship trim, inventory, draft, stability or pressure". Ship design and construction are suitable for transporting goods such as petroleum, minerals and containers. Therefore, if a ship moves freely from one port to the next, the ballast tank must be used onboard to enable the ship to operate efficiently and safely. This will ensure the efficient maneuvering of the propeller and rudder and keep the ship deep enough to avoid stress and distortion to the hull (mainly in the ocean) where the ship may rupture or settle Including that. Thousands of years ago, when the ship began to build, they had a strong ballast such as rock, sand and metal.

Ballast water sediment is closely related to ballast water. When a ship inflates ballast water, they also receive solids contained in the water. When a substance enters the ballast tank, it acts as a "sediment" at the bottom of the tank The problem is that it can carry various invasive species. As a result, about 7,000 types of invasive species may be transported to ballast tanks around the world. Many of these species may not survive during the voyage of the ship. Likewise, other species can also survive, but if they are discharged under different environmental conditions they may die. However, some invading species not only survive, but also find favorable conditions in new environments where breeding may be competitors or predators of native species ("problems", n.d.).