Ballast Water Management in the Black Sea’s Ports

Abstract

The objective of this work is to develop a case study in order to improve the ballast water management in the Black Sea's ports. From this perspective, the present paper provides an extensive explanation about the main issues related to the control of marine non-indigenous species introduction through ballast water discharged by ships during their operations in the ports. Thereafter, it quantifies the amount of the ballast water discharged in the major ports of the Black Sea and the amount of the invading species that could reach these ports. Although, globally speaking, the problem of ballast water management is a reality, only three of the six neighboring countries in the Black Sea basin have signed, in 2004, the ratification of the International Convention on Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments. This is also known as the Water Ballast Management Convention, and it provides regulations concerning ballast water management generated by the shipping activities through a common set of rules.

Analysis of Ballast Water Discharged in Port—A Case Study of the Port of Ploče (Croatia)

“…Numerous studies were conducted to reduce ports' vulnerability against the spread of HAOP. For example, in [16], the authors presented the main issues related to introducing and controlling marine alien species in the Black Sea's ports. Port of Constanta was taken as a case study, and the possibilities of discharging ballast to shore BWT facility and barge BWT were discussed.…”

Ballast Water Pollution Risk Assessment in the Black Sea

“…The Black Sea is not immune to these, results from economic activities, which create the context for the migration of living organisms from one geographical region to another. The threat of ecosystems has been intensified by the process of globalization, by changing the natural food chains following the accidental introduction of nonindigenous marine life by discharging ballast water from ship tanks [3]. According to studies conducted so far [8][9][10][11][12][13], it has emerged that more than 29 species have accidentally arrived in the Black Sea, from different geographical areas.…”

“… shipping,  offshore explorations/exploitations,  fishing activities,  cruising etc. It is necessary first of all to evaluate the main generators of pollutants in different segments of their action [3][4][5][6], and then the impact of these pollutants on the marine environment. In this study will be evaluated the generic volume of potential hazardous ballast water which arrive in the targeted area by vessels, through their ballast water tanks.…”

Ecological impacts of ballast water loading and discharge: insight into the toxicity and accumulation of disinfection by-products

“…Aside from the introduction of nonindigenous species, the transport of contaminants, such as heavy metals, toxins, or pharmaceutical components, is also being concerned, given that ballast tanks somehow not only contain water but also sediments ( Lv et al., 2022 ; Rata et al., 2018 ; Valković and Obhođaš, 2020 ). These concerns had been discussed in detail during the Ballast Water Management Convention held by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2004, which set a major leap to the ballast water utilization in cargo ships.…”