2nd International Ballast Water Treatment R&D Symposium
In opening the Symposium, the Director of the IMO Marine Environment Division, Mr Koji
Sekimizu, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr William O’Neil, stated that during the
development of the ballast water Convention, it has been widely recognized that the practice of ballast
exchange at sea has many limitations, including serious safety concerns and highly variable biological
effectiveness. As an example, approximately 15 new species have invaded the North American Great
Lakes since 1993, despite mid-ocean exchange becoming mandatory that year for ships entering the
Lakes region. This is the same number of invasions that occurred during the 1970s and 80s, indicating
that current management efforts are not completely effective. Overall, the current rate of invasions in
the Great Lakes is 66% higher than 100 years ago, and similar trends are recorded in other parts of the
world where surveys and monitoring are conducted. Mr Sekimizu stated that it is therefore extremely
important that alternative, more effective ballast water treatment methods are developed as soon as
possible
monograph 15 RandD Symposium.pdf
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