Enforcement of Ballast Water Convention and challenges in Australian ports

Discharge of ballast water from ocean-going ships contributes to the spread of aquatic invasive species with negative impacts on the receiving environment, which in turn can influence the economy and public health. As a regulatory measure, the long awaiting International Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) will enter into force in September 2017 which requires ships to install treatment systems. Consequently, ballast water exchange practices will cease. However, ships might be exempted while operating in waters under Australian jurisdiction.

After a decade of introducing the convention, certain issues such as sampling methodologies and sampling analyses are still in debate. So far, much of the literature has focused on biological aspects of invasions, or the design and development of treatment systems. Less focus has been placed on the challenges that must be mitigated by the ports in the case of non-compliance, and the scale of this has been under assessed.

The objective of this study is to raise the awareness by identifying the challenges for implementing BW Convention. That is achieved by categorising them in to the operational, technical and uncertainty topics. Some of these issues can lead to suspension of the ship’s operation and a delay in ship’s activities, which then initiates a further dispute, putting excess pressure on the ship and the port authority. Among those, sampling is a major challenge, which is discussed more in detail for the long-term planning. Furthermore, the study highlights the high risk area by location and magnitude so investment on BW management in Australia could be made more effectively in future.