Posted on February, 04 2004

Gland, Switzerland - WWF warned today that exotic invasive species contained in ships' ballast water are one of the major threats to marine biodiversity globally.

Ahead of an important International Maritime Organization (IMO) conference in London, the conservation organization called for the adoption of a strong international convention, that would lead to mandatory treatment of ballast water on all vessels. 
 
According to WWF, ballast water, carried by ships to provide balance and stability, is loaded with thousands of marine species that can invade new environments when released in ports.

The conservation organization stresses that the impact of exotic invasive species can be as damaging as oil spills, and their effects much more persistent. 
 
Some 10 billion tonnes of ballast water is transferred around the world each year.

When a vessel loads ballast water, it picks up minute organisms contained in the water, such as planktonic species, invertebrates, fish larvae, and pathogens. These organisms are then released with the ballast water in another port when the vessel loads more cargo.

According to WWF, these species can alter the entire local ecology — leading to the collapse of some fisheries, and threatening the existence of endangered species — and pose a risk to human health by contaminating seafood. The economic consequences can also be dramatic.

For example, in the United States, the European zebra mussel has infested more than 40 per cent of internal waterways in the Great Lakes area, requiring more than US$750 million to control.

Invasions of exotic species such as the mitten crab in Europe, the North American jellyfish in the Black Sea, and Asian kelp in Australia have had disastrous effects on commercial fisheries, endemic species, and marine habitats.

Invasive species have also led to more widespread and frequent occurrences of red-tide algae, which can be extremely toxic to humans. 
 
"Invasive species are perhaps the major environmental challenge facing the shipping industry," said Simon Cripps, Director of WWF's Endangered Seas Programme. "The IMO must take urgent action on the ballast water problem or we will continue to see the introduction of invasive species that threaten the health of people, terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species, and entire habitats." 
 
According to WWF, a strong convention on ballast water would lead to a rapid phase in of mandatory treatment of ballast water on all vessels.

While considerable research and development needs to be carried out before environmentally sound treatment systems are available for all types of ships, the convention must provide a significant incentive for the development of such technologies.

The current method of ballast water exchange is not seen as a solution for the future due to its many inherent weaknesses. 
 
IMO's Ballast Water for Ships International Conference takes place from 9 to 13 February in London. WWF deplores that the IMO has failed to adopt an internationally binding convention on ballast water despite the fact that this issue has been on its agenda for the last 15 years. 
 
"If shipping is ever to become a sustainable industry, the environmental threat posed by ballast water must be eliminated," said Andreas Tveteraas, Head of WWF's delegation to the IMO. "Anything short of the immediate adoption of a convention that is sufficiently strong in reducing the threats posed by invasive species is unacceptable, as it will result in continued risks to both global biodiversity and human health." 
 
For further information: 
 
Andreas Tveteraas,
WWF-Norway,
Tel.: + 47 40 84 14 21 (mobile)

Olivier van Bogaert,
WWF International,
Tel: +41 22 364 9554,
E-mail:ovanbogaert@wwfint.org 
 
Peter Bryant,
WWF Endangered Seas Programme,
Tel: +41 22 364 9028,
E-mail: pbryant@wwfint.org