Risk Assessment in Ballast Water Management - Global Maritime Transport and Ballast Water Management: Issues and Solutions - page 139

Fig. 1 Overlap of different
species introduction vectors
(Minchin 2007 ) (Reprinted
from Minchin ( 2007 ),
copyright 2007, with
permission from Elsevier)
Identifi cation of Hazards
Hazards may be defi ned as a situation to result in harm under certain circumstances,
or, alternatively, as the likeliness of substances or activities to generate risk (Hewitt
and Hayes 2002 ). In ecotoxicology a hazard is frequently considered merely as a
function of the properties of a substance. However, a broader understanding would
be more appropriate to include the fundamental properties of a substance as well as
the circumstances. The implication inherent to the introductions of harmful aquatic
organisms and pathogens (HAOP) RA is the assessment of the probability of the
establishment of a species. This also depends on its potential invasiveness (i.e., its
fundamental properties) and the recipient environment (i.e., circumstances).
The introduction of an organism and its possible invasiveness can be divided into
several phases, or a chain of events (see above and chapter “ The Transfer of Harmful
Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens with Ballast Water and Their Impacts ”): organ-
ism presence in the donor region, vector infection, transport survival, survival of the
discharge process to the recipient environment, survival in the new environment,
establishment in the new environment, and possibly spread and harm (invasiveness)
in the new environment. The uncertainty relative to each step increases upon each
following step, i.e., from the initial presence in the donor environment to the inva-
siveness in the recipient environment. In cases where the degree of uncertainty is
high, quantitative methods for the defi nition of probability are inappropriate.
Therefore, not all phases of the species invasion chain of events have to be quanti-
fi ed, but instead a combination of the empirical approach (based upon acceptable
criteria) and the documented invasion history and adverse infl uences can be adopted.
IMO Risk Assessment Methods
The RA developed in the framework of the BWM Convention is the most recently
agreed global RA framework for bioinvasions. It was developed to provide guid-
ance how to implement a selective BWM approach according to the BWM