Ballast water management convention and its inherent problems

International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted at the diplomatic conference held on 9-13 February 2004 to prevent the potentially devastating effects of the spread of aquatic organisms carried by ships' ballast water. As of October 2006 only 7 countries ratified the convention, although 30 countries are necessary for effective entry into force. The most important decisive factor for the ratification is availability of ballast water treatment systems that terminate or decrease the number of organisms in discharged ballast water. Ballast water exchange of more than 95% of its volume at high sea is a useful temporary method until treatment systems are developed and equipped on ships. Availability of appropriate area for the water exchange is a serious problem for ships operating for short distances such as between Japan and Korea or in EU area.