Question:
Discuss about ballast water management issues?
Answer:
Ballast water discharges through ships can affect negatively on the marine atmosphere. The ROPME sea area is principal receiver of ships’ ballast water. For the unique features of the ROPME Sea Area including intense hot summer, short cool winters, water temperature fluctuation, extensive air and relatively high salinity, elevated turbidity and little replacement of water with open sea. The RSA is a chief oil and gas production areas globally. A considerable quantity of oil is slipped in sea annually. Therefore, management and control of spread of unsafe marine species in ships’ ballast water. For this a set of actions including ballast water exchange exterior to the ROPME Sea Area is implemented by Second Regional Steering Committee Meeting, which was held in Kingdom of Bahrain on 4th and 5th November 2008 (Tamelander et al. 2010). They identified the ballast water management as the most suitable way for improving the local marine atmosphere. The Steering Committee decided that, Vessels appearing from the outside of ROPME Sea Area supposed to start ballast water replacement en route in water above 200 marine miles from closest territory as well as in water minimum 200 meters depth. However if for safety issues it cannot be possible, vessels would make minor difference to areas within 200 miles limit which could be recognized as discharge area, which is above 50 miles from nearest territory in water and minimum 200 meters depth (International Maritime Organization 2009). It this is not achieved, specific reasons would be provided by the ships to the respective authorities and the further necessities of ballast water management with Ballast Water Management Convention and other legislations.
Reference List
International Maritime Organization, 2009. Second Regional Steering Committee Meeting on Ballast Water Management “ Identification of ballast water exchange area outside the ROPME Sea Area. [online] Available at: <http://file:///C:/Users/absas%20user/Downloads/notice%20140%20RSA%20BWM%20Regulation.pdf> [Accessed 14 Jan. 2016].
Tamelander, J., Riddering, L., Haag, F., Matheickal, J., and No, G. M. S. 2010. Guidelines for development of a national ballast water management strategy. GloBallast Partnerships Project Coordination Unit, International Maritime Organization.
