Abstract
Marine transportation still generates negative impacts on the marine environment, including releases of ballast water containing aquatic invasive species; historical use of antifoulants; oil and chemical spills; dry bulk cargo releases; garbage; underwater noise pollution; ship-strikes on marine megafauna; risk of ship grounding or sinkings; and widespread sediment contamination of ports during trans-shipment or ship breaking activities. Commercial vessels that do not conduct ballast water exchange, in accordance with International Convention Ballast Water Management, will endager the environment of ports. In this study, investigation of heavy metal (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) and nutrients (NO3, NO2, NH4, PO4 and SiO4) contents in ballast waters of three commercial ships entering the Tobruk port, along the Tobruk Gulf. High concentration levels were observed in all samples which were the main source of high heavey metals concentration of coastal waters of Tobruk Gulf. These results were confirmed by determination of nutrients concentration which were also found in high concentrations levels compared with reference sample. Results showed that in a long term the ballast water has the potential to change the chemical quality in marine environments, and it should treated before discharge in coastal areas, as well as the unpolluted of ballast waters should be loaded.
Highlights
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a United Nations organization that attempts to increase the safety of shipping and protection of marine environment
Shipping companies and ports operated with limited environmental oversight, but accidental oil spills in the 1960s, caused widespread coastal pollution and seabird mortality, triggering the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) uses various instruments to protect the marine environment from shipping activities
Summary
International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a United Nations organization that attempts to increase the safety of shipping and protection of marine environment. One of of comittees in the organization is the Commitee of Marine Environment Protection (MEPC) in 2004 that has legalized regulations of controlling management of vessel ballast water. The regulation of ballast water set by IMO which aims to minimalize the entrance of indigenous species and sediments to other water areas. To minimalize the risk, based on D1 standards, each commercial vessel entering to port water areas is requested to do ballast water exchange in ballast water tank that is located 200 miles from the port, in depth of more than 200 meters, and by level of efficiency of at least 95%. There are three methods used in ballast water exchange. Sequential method, a process of emptying and refilling ballast water to get at least 95% of volumetric
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More From: American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
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