Introduction - Global Maritime Transport and Ballast Water Management: Issues and Solutions - page 7

leading researchers in this fi eld. This includes the involvement in the policy making
processes at the highest international (IMO), national and regional levels. Experience
of this group has been gained through years of committed work in this fi eld, which
gave an unique opportunity to gain specifi c knowledge and experience to offer an
in-depth insight and some possible solutions to the related issues. Complimentary,
the topic contributions refl ect the industry, administrations and academic views
regarding BWM. Therefore, the topic is expected to be of primary interest to stu-
dents and scientists in various fi elds, including maritime transport, naval architec-
ture, biology, decision and policy making at national and international levels,
especially related to the shipping industry and environmental protection. The topic
is also written to be of interest to the wider public to broaden the scope of audience
and to raise awareness to the topic.
Topic Content
After this general introductory chapter, the topic continues to describe vessels' bal-
last water systems, considering stability, structural and safety aspects as well as
ballast water volumes being carried by ships and how its discharge (in ports) can be
calculated. Next, the types and dimensions of organisms transported with ballast
water and their impact is described followed by a chapter which comprehensively
summarizes worldwide ballast water policies and regulations implemented to avoid
species introductions. The BWM Convention as overarching instrument and its sup-
porting guidelines are introduced by also mentioning the port and fl ag State require-
ments. Exemptions from and additional BWM measures as well as BWM exceptions
are explained. In continuation, a comprehensive overview of BWMS is given.
Recommendations and options for compliance control measurements with the
BWM Convention's standard are provided, separated in indicative and in detailed
ballast water sampling and sample processing methods. This is followed by a
description of the integration of RA, BWM and CME in a DSS. The RA exemptions
process is shown in detail highlighting the RA principles and the need for a precau-
tionary approach. Flow charts guide the reader through a RA model for granting
exemptions from BWM requirements. While the RA result is a simple risk quantify-
ing answer (high, medium, low), an approach is needed when a decision on “what
to do” is to be taken. This DSS considers the RA results and forms the core part of
this topic. Theoretical and practical profi les of the ballast water RA and DSSs are
presented and analysed as BWM tools. These provide a solid framework for the
DSS model. The DSS model is presented in the form of fl ow charts as a step by
step approach from the highest level to the details. The generic DSS model is
further analysed decision by decision and element by element, also considering
their interactions. This BWM DSS approach provides a mechanism to aid trans-
parency and consistency in the decision process regarding BWM needs. The BWM
DSS model is then validated in a case study, by using real ballast water discharge
data of the Port of Koper, Slovenia as well as data on vessel voyages, including