Ballast Water Management in the Black Sea’s Ports

Vasile Rata,Liliana Rusu,Carmen Gasparotti

doi:10.3390/jmse6020069

Vasile Rata, Liliana Rusu + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse6020069

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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.

Highlights

Maritime transportation in the Black Sea has increased in the last years and requires suitable measures for safe navigation and environmental protection
Results from Equations (1)–(3) indicate that the ballast water (BW) accounts for 40% of the transported cargo (DWCC), a value known from Table 3
Not all the ships leave the harbor with cargo holds full, but because not all local exports leave the Black Sea geographical area, we work with this percentage, which will compensate somehow by moderating the differences

Summary

Introduction

Maritime transportation in the Black Sea has increased in the last years and requires suitable measures for safe navigation and environmental protection. The quality of the information regarding the prediction of sea state conditions, or of other natural phenomena that influence the maritime transport safety, is extremely important. The ballast once appeared in solid form, using stones, metals, and other materials. When shipbuilding evolved to more complex forms, using metal sheets as the raw material, the liquid ballast form was introduced. This liquid ballast was quickly adopted due to the lower cost and time of the water handling of the ship’s tanks

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