The European zebra mussel in the Great Lakes, a toxic Japanese dinoflagellate transferred to Australia--such biologically and economically harmful stowaways have made it imperative to achieve better management of ballast water in ocean-going vessels. Stemming the Tide examines the introduction of nonindigenous species through ballast water discharge. Ballast is any solid or liquid that is taken aboard ship to achieve more controlled and safer operation. This expert volume Assesses current national and international approaches to the problem and makes recommendations for U.S. government agencies, the U.S. maritime industry, and the member states of the International Maritime Organization. Appraises technologies for controlling the transfer of organisms--biocides, filtration, heat treatment, and others --with a view toward developing the most promising methods for shipboard demonstration. Evaluates methods for monitoring the effectiveness of ballast water management in removing unwanted organisms. The book addresses the constraints inherent in ballast water management, notably shipboard ballast treatment and monitoring. Also, the committee outlines efforts to set an acceptable level of risk for species introduction using the techniques of risk analysis. Stemming the Tide will be important to all stakeholders in the issue of unwanted species introduction through ballast discharge: policymakers, port authorities, shippers, ship operators, suppliers to the maritime industry, marine biologists, marine engineers, and environmentalists.

The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention), is concerned with preventing, minimizing and ultimately eliminating the risks to the environment, human health, property and resources arising from the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens, through the control and management of ships' ballast water and sediments. The BWM Convention also aims to avoid unwanted side-effects from that control and encourages developments in related knowledge and technology. The 2018 consolidated edition aims to provide an easy and comprehensive reference to the up-to-date provisions and unified interpretation of articles and annex of the BWM Convention

The third edition of the Guide to Ship Sanitation presents the public health significance of ships in terms of disease and highlights the importance of applying appropriate control measures. It is intended to be a basis for the development of national approaches to controlling the hazards, providing a framework for policy-making and local decision-making. It may also be used as a reference for regulators, ship operators and ship builders as well as for assessing the potential health impact of projects involving the design of ships.

Ballast water management is a complex subject with many issues and still limited knowledge, however, it is building up on new scientific researches and practical experience. The Ballast Water Management Convention is the global legal framework which still needs to be implemented. This book brings together a long-term and newest experience from practical work, scientific research, administration and policy involvements, offering unique insights to readers who would like to learn more about this subject. It also provides recommendations and practical solutions especially important for professionals, administrations and organizations in the process of the implementation of this Ballast Water Management Convention.

This publication provides useful practical information to Governments, particularly those of developing countries, administrations, shipowners, port state control authorities, environmental agencies and other stakeholders on the implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the Ballast Water Management Convention. The aim is to encourage the further ratification and proper implementation and enforcement of the Convention. However, it should be noted that, the legal purposes, the authentic text of the Convention should always be consulted

"The introduction of invasive marine species into new environments, whether by ships’ ballast water, attached to ships’ hulls or via other means has been identified as one of the four main threats to the world’s oceans, along with land-based sources of marine pollution, over-exploitation of living marine resources and the physical alteration or destruction of marine habitat. Increased trade and the consequent greater volumes of maritime traffic over the last few decades have served to fuel the problem. The effects in many areas of the world have been serious and significant. Quantitative data show that the rate of bio-invasions is continuing to increase, in some cases exponentially, and new areas are being found to be invaded all the time. As volumes of seaborne trade continue overall to increase, the problem may not yet have reached its peak. In response, IMO first adopted Guidelines for Preventing the Introduction of Unwanted Organisms and Pathogens from Ships' Ballast Water and Sediment Discharges in 1991; while the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, recognized the issue as a major international concern. The IMO Guidelines have since been kept constantly under review and updated. Subsequently, in February 2004, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted. In providing a broad overview of the legal aspects related to marine pollution caused by ballast water and tank sediments, this book offers a pragmatic analysis of the current international legal system, and includes principles of international customary law and also references to a comprehensive environmental treaty law framework which relates the Ballast Water Convention to other treaties, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), MARPOL and the Convention on Biological Diversity. With such a wide-ranging approach, this book will certainly provide a source of valuable information for all those with a requirement to pursue the subject in depth." From the Foreword by Efthimios E. Mitropoulos

On a daily basis, every ship at sea, transports millions of marine organisms which have been taken onboard with ships' ballast water. The World Wildlife Fund has estimated that about 7.5 M litres of ballast water are released every hour into US waters alone with 10 Bn litres a year therefore being transferred round the world. In February 2004,

The introduction of alien species can upset ecosystems and have been identified as the second main cause of species extinction at a global level after habitat loss or deterioration. This publication sets out a European strategy to address this issue, developed in the framework of the Bern Convention and in line with guidelines adopted in 2002 on biological diversity. This strategy seeks to encourage the implementation of co-ordinated measures in all European states which are designed to prevent or minimise adverse impacts of non-native species on native biological diversity.

From the time it was first published in 1998, Shipping and the Environment has been the leading text on international and US law and practice in this field. Written by renowned legal and insurance practitioners with over 100 years of combined specialist experience, including first-hand knowledge of many major incidents, it is not only a comprehensive reference work but an abundant source of introductory material and practical insights, all explained with a clarity appreciated by lawyers and non-lawyers alike in a broad international readership. While updating its core subjects of pollution from ships, wreck removal and dumping at sea, this enlarged text extends into other modern areas including pollution from offshore operations after Deepwater Horizon, plastics released into the sea, recycling of vessels, polar operations, and the fast-changing restrictions on carbon emissions from ships, as well as safety threats such as cyberattacks, terrorism and modern forms of piracy. With a highly readable introductory chapter amounting to a book within a book, this is a volume of great importance to all whose work or studies are concerned with marine environmental affairs, whether in government, international bodies, industry, technical organizations, the professions, environmental NGOs, the academic world or other walks of life.