Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of administrations in the certifi cation processes is also important to support a fast
development and to ensure the performance quality and reliability of certifi ed BWMS,
and hence also better protect the world's oceans and seas, human health, property
and resources from the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens.
To meet the D-2 standard it may also be considered necessary to combine BWE
and ballast water treatment until BWMS become more effi cient. By doing so, the
effi cacy of existing BWMS may be enhanced when the ballast water taken onboard
is treated during the exchange.
Risk Assessment
There are two fundamentally different implementation approaches of the BWM
Convention, the selective and the blanket approach. The selective approach means
that appropriate BWM measures are required depending on different risk levels
posed by the intended ballast water discharge. The level of risk is a result of a risk
assessment (RA), and the BWM measures are then adapted to the RA result and the
acceptance of certain risks. Base on low level risk, an acceptable risk, under G7
Guidelines conditions vessels may be also exempted from BWM requirements up to
5 years, subject to renewal. On the other side, when unacceptable or even extreme
risks are identifi ed, BWM is required and some additional measures may need to be
implemented.
RA may also support port State control actions. When high risk ballast water is
being planned for discharge, a port State authority (PSA) may be interested to ascer-
tain if all necessary BWM measures were undertaken properly, and that there was
no failure in the BWM process. On the other side, when a vessel may not be able to
comply with basic BWM requirements or was found non-compliant by port State
control (PSC), but RA results in low risk level, in such a case PSA may have grounds
to allow a vessel to discharge unmanaged ballast water, as this would be understood
that such ballast water is not posing a threat to harm the environment, human health,
property and resources. This may be a very important point in regards of the Articles
9 and 10 of the BWM Convention, which otherwise require PSA not to let the vessel
that was found non-compliant to discharge ballast water which presents a threat of
harm to the environment, human health, property or resources.
Reliability of environmental and biological data needed to conduct RA for BWM
purposes was found to be crucial, what is in line with the precautionary approach
when RA relates to environmental and human health protection. If there is no recent
data available about the possible presence of HAOP in ports or areas where ballast
water is being loaded or discharged, no species-specifi c and species' biogeographical
RA can be conducted. To ensure biological data reliability, port baseline surveys
should be undertaken, and as additional species may be introduced through time,
regular monitoring programmes need to be established. When undertaking port
baselines surveys, a harmonized approach for the sampling standards and protocols
is needed so that all studies generate reliable and comparable results. In this process
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