Minimizing the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens in Ships` Ballast Water:
To help minimise harmful transfers caused by ships’ ballast water, PERSGA is working towards the following activities:
- Legislative Review on Ballast Water Management to comply with the IMO Convention when developing national regulations.
- Regional introductory training course on ballast water management.
- Create Regional Task Force (RTF) to facilitate process and replicate programme results beyond the region at continental and global level.
- Create National Task Forces (NTF) including all the main stakeholders with an interest in ballast water management.
- The NTF in each of the participating countries will develop their National Action Plan for ballast water management.
- Increase the level of public awareness.
- Port baseline surveys.
- Regional Level Risk assessment to identify the priority ports for detailed risk assessments.
- Generic Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement (CME) at regional level.
The First Regional Workshop on the Ballast Water Management and Control:
IMO and PERSGA organised a Workshop in Jeddah in 2005 on Ballast Water Management and Control and MARPOL 73/78. The Workshop dealt with the invasive aquatic species that move from one part of the world to another in ships’ ballast water, the pollution resulting from oil being moved by ship from one area of the world to another, and with the MARPOL Convention 73/78. It specifically discussed the need for the adoption of a regional mechanism and Action Plan regarding ballast water issues. The workshop also raised the importance of the Globallast Programme and furnished recommendations for the Programmes regional adoption.34 delegates from
IMO Mission Report: A fact-finding mission and regional workshop on ratification, implementation and enforcement of the MARPOL 73/78 Convention for the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the
Draft Regional Strategic Action Plan to Minimise the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens in Ships’ Ballast Water, 2005.
Globallast Conclusions and Recommendations, 2005