EU Shipping and the Ballast Water Management Issue

After almost two decades of intensified research, regulatory and political activities focussed on the prevention of harmful organisms and pathogen transfers around the world, in 2004 the International Convention on the Management of Ships¿ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted to provide a common and globally uniform ballast water management (BWM) approach. Nevertheless, regionally different BWM approaches are developing. By now, many countries around the world seem to be aware of the ballast water issue and its management limitations. In the EU, different approaches have been identified at regional and national scales, however, a common EU wide BWM approach has not yet clearly emerged. In this paper author reviews the BWM approaches developing in Europe, and describe the EU response on BWM, and further provides recommendations which may be considered when developing BWM measures in the EU. This contribution focuses on the BWM issue in European seas in light of the EU Maritime Policy and EU Marine Strategy.

DAVID Matej;  PERKOVIC Marko; 

2009-09-23

Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport

JRC52540