A generic ballast water discharge assessment model as a decision supporting tool in ballast water management

Vessels carrying passengers and cargoes all around the world facilitate the transfer of invasive aquatic species, especially via ballast water. Discharge of these in a new environment may result in a change of biodiversity, alteration of ecosystems, negative impacts on human health and economic loss, in some cases with irreversible consequences. One of the critical issues is a need to understand and evaluate the dimension and process of species introductions. In the efforts to prevent the transfer of invasive aquatic species, risk assessment plays a crucial role. The quantity of ballast water discharged is one of the basic elements of such an evaluation. Further, the possibility to do it well in advance of the vessel¿s arrival to a port enhances the management process and gives port authorities a possibility to respond in time with appropriate measures. To this end, a new generic Ballast Water Discharge Assessment Model (BWDAM) was prepared. The BWDAM is based on foreseen cargo operation, type of cargo, and vessel type and dimensions. The model was tested on vessel traffic data in the Port of Koper, Slovenia, and various vessels were boarded. The results show high confidence in predicting whether a vessel will (or not) discharge ballast water, as well as accuracy in the assessment of the quantity of ballast water to be discharged. KEY WORDS: shipping, ballast water, discharge assessment, risk assessment, ballast water management

DAVID Matej;  PERKOVIC Marko;  SUBAN Valter;  GOLLASCH Stephan; 

2012-04-19

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

JRC52630

0167-9236,   

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167923612000036,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC52630,   

10.1016/j.dss.2012.01.002,