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Ballast water exchange

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Ballast water exchange is a maritime practice involving the replacement of ballast water taken on by ships in one location with water from another location, aimed at reducing the transfer of invasive aquatic species and pathogens between different marine ecosystems.
lightbulbAbout this topic
Ballast water exchange is a maritime practice involving the replacement of ballast water taken on by ships in one location with water from another location, aimed at reducing the transfer of invasive aquatic species and pathogens between different marine ecosystems.

Key research themes

1. How does combining ballast water exchange (BWE) with ballast water treatment (BWT) improve prevention of species introductions to freshwater ecosystems?

This theme investigates the efficacy of integrating the established ballast water exchange method, which relies on osmoregulatory stress by replacing freshwater ballast with oceanic water, with emerging ballast water treatment systems that use filtration and disinfection. The combined approach aims to address the dual invasion process by reducing propagule pressure (via BWT) and environmental tolerance of invasive species (via BWE), especially in sensitive freshwater environments where BWT alone may face challenges due to water quality. Understanding this synergy is crucial for refining regulatory standards and operational practices to minimize biological invasions effectively.

Key finding: Ship-based trials demonstrated that combining mid-ocean ballast water exchange (BWE) with ballast water treatment (BWT) systems yields an additional significant reduction in planktonic organisms ≥10 µm compared to BWT alone... Read more
Key finding: The research found that BWT systems alone can be less reliable in fresh and turbid water conditions due to operational and environmental constraints. Incorporation of BWE prior to BWT overcomes these limitations by physically... Read more

2. What are the comparative efficacies and operational characteristics of different ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) employing ultraviolet radiation and chemical disinfectants for controlling phytoplankton and microbial regrowth?

This research theme focuses on evaluating and comparing existing ballast water treatment technologies based on UV radiation and chemical disinfectants like electrochlorination and chlorine dioxide. It emphasizes the assessment of short-term efficacy and the critical issue of phytoplankton regrowth potential, which can undermine treatment success and pose risks of invasive species establishment. Understanding the performance variability among treatment systems and how dosage affects organism viability provides actionable insights for technology selection, regulatory compliance, and future design improvements.

Key finding: The study directly compared six BWTSs—three UV-based and three chemical (electrochlorination and chlorine dioxide)—and found significant differences in phytoplankton inactivation and subsequent regrowth. UV-based systems... Read more
Key finding: Analysis of BWTS deployment showed that electrolytic and UV treatment systems dominate current installations in Australia and the United States. The study linked the increase in BWTS installations with regulatory compliance... Read more
Key finding: This overview provided a systematic assessment of current commercial BWTS technologies, noting common use of filtration plus UV or chemical disinfection. It highlighted that existing systems prioritize removal of organisms... Read more
Key finding: This market-focused analysis underscored the rapid expansion and economic scale of BWTS demand due to international regulations. It revealed that technology adoption is constrained by retrofitting complexity, system costs (up... Read more

3. How effective is ballast water exchange (BWE) in reducing invasion risks associated with intracoastal and Arctic shipping routes, considering biological community changes detected through high throughput sequencing and environmental factors like salinity and temperature?

This theme evaluates the ecological efficacy of BWE practices in mitigating the introduction of non-indigenous species specifically along intracoastal routes and in the context of the Arctic, where climate change and shipping growth could influence invasion dynamics. Leveraging high throughput sequencing (HTS) and ecophysiological modeling, the research addresses both the compositional shifts in ballast biota after BWE and the suitability of recipient environments for introduced species. Findings here have implications for regional policy, ballast water management protocols, and biodiversity conservation under changing climatic conditions.

Key finding: Using HTS metabarcoding of ballast water from vessels arriving in Alaska via intracoastal transit, the study showed that BWE significantly alters community assemblages by reducing some benthic coastal taxa and introducing... Read more
Key finding: Ballast water samples discharged in the high-Arctic Svalbard contained high densities of predominantly indigenous zooplankton but also multiple non-indigenous species despite ballast water exchange efforts. Climate... Read more
Key finding: This complementary study combines traditional taxonomy and DNA barcoding with environmental modeling to evaluate reproductive and survival thresholds (temperature and salinity) of potentially invasive marine species... Read more

All papers in Ballast water exchange

Ballast water operations are one of the most essential activities of commercial ships whose purpose of existence is to carry cargo between ports. With their growing ballast capacities, ships become an important vector that carries the... more
The paper describes the feasibility of ballast water detection with SeaWiFS-derived diffuse attenuation coefficients and the corresponding number of in situ plankton cell density along the shipÕs routes. Onboard sampling of the ballast... more
Ships carry ballast water for better stability and to control trim. However, the discharge of ballast water near ports is known to transport invasive species from one coastal area to another. The exchange of ballast water on the high seas... more
Summary Several decades of research on invasive marine species have yielded a broad understanding of the nature of species invasion mechanisms and associated threats globally. However, this is not true of the Arctic, a region where... more
The Vistula Lagoon plays a very important role as a spawning ground for herring (Clupea harengus) in the southern Baltic Sea. First-feeding herring larvae depend on rotifers, Eurytemora affinis nauplii, and younger copepodites.... more
Ballast water remains a potent vector of non-native aquatic species introductions, despite increased global efforts to reduce risk of ballast water mediated invasions. This is particularly true of intracoastal vessel traffic, whose... more
Summary Several decades of research on invasive marine species have yielded a broad understanding of the nature of species invasion mechanisms and associated threats globally. However, this is not true of the Arctic, a region where... more
Currently, all transoceanic vessels entering the Great Lakes must perform ballast water exchange or saltwater flushing, procedures designed to reduce the risk of new biological invasions from ballast water. Vessels not in compliance with... more
1. Several decades of research on invasive marine species have yielded a broad understanding of the nature of species invasion mechanisms and associated threats globally. However, this is not true of the Arctic, a region where ongoing... more
Dunstan, P. K., and Bax, N. J. 2008. Management of an invasive marine species: defining and testing the effectiveness of ballast-water management options using management strategy evaluation. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 841–850.... more
The freshwater cladoceran Bosmina coregoni (Baird, 1857), native to Eurasia, has established and spread in the Great Lakes region of North America since the 1960s. Here we report the first detection of B. coregoni on the Pacific coast of... more
International shipping has been the dominant vector of nonindigenous species introductions to the Laurentian Great Lakes over the past century. Apparent ballast-mediated invasions have been recorded in recent years, despite the... more
We characterized the physical/chemical conditions and the algal and bacterial assemblages in ballast water from 62 ballast tanks aboard 28 ships operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command and the Maritime Administration, sampled at 9... more
The identification and risk assessment of potential biological invaders would provide valuable criteria for the allocation of resources toward the detection and control of invasion threats. Yet, freshwater biologists have made few... more
Rapid and simple analytical methods for viable microorganism detection in ballast water are required to evaluate the efficiency of ballast water treatment system. During the course of systematic investigation of the cytotoxicity and... more
Cove, ME. Sample sites included the Town Pier, offshore cruise ship anchorages designated Alpha and Bravo, and control site Bell Buoy #7 (Figure 1). Water quality was also monitored weekly at the Town Pier when no ships were present. The... more
We characterized the physical/chemical conditions and the algal and bacterial assemblages in ballast water from 62 ballast tanks aboard 28 ships operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command and the Maritime Administration, sampled at 9... more
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry does not accept any responsibility or liability for error or fact omission, interpretation or opinion... more
The transfer of organisms in ballast water of commercial ships is a leading cause of biological invasions in coastal ecosystems. Ships arriving in New Zealand are now required to treat their ballast water to reduce the risk of... more
Although DNA barcoding is a promising tool for the identification of organisms, it requires the development of a specific reference sequence library for sample application. In the present study we developed a Lake Kasumigaura, Japan,... more
This research focused on the specific diversity of diatoms carried in ballast sediments of ships reaching Canadian ports on the Pacific, Atlantic and the Great Lakes during 2007 and 2009. The inventory of 180 taxa included Thalassiosira,... more
We characterized the physical/chemical conditions and the algal and bacterial assemblages in ballast water from 62 ballast tanks aboard 28 ships operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command and the Maritime Administration, sampled at 9... more
tolerance of diapausing eggs of freshwater zooplankton
tolerance of diapausing eggs of freshwater zooplankton
1. Many freshwater zooplankton produce diapausing eggs capable of withstanding periods of adverse environmental conditions, such as anoxia, drought and extreme temperature. These eggs may also allow oligostenohaline species to survive... more
We characterized the physical/chemical conditions and the algal and bacterial assemblages in ballast water from 62 ballast tanks aboard 28 ships operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command and the Maritime Administration, sampled at 9... more
Work on the investigation of organisms of ballast water and sediments of ships sailing on Russia-Japan and Russia-China lines was started in the Port of Vladivostok for the first time for the Far East seas of Russia. In total, 145 taxa,... more
The human mediated transfer of aquatic organisms and pathogens via shipping, specifically with ballast water, is a continuing global threat to biodiversity, human health and economic values. In February 2004, as a result of long-term... more
The disposal of <em><strong>Ballast Water</strong></em> impacted to the aquatic ecosystem. Certain plankton species are able to survive in polluted conditions in the sea water of the Port of Tanjung Emas Semarang... more
Most ships entering the Great Lakes carry cargo and declare “no-ballast-on board” (NOBOB) status. Approximately 250 of these vessels annually load Great Lakes’ ballast water when they offload inbound cargo and then discharge this water... more
The cost of high-resolution water sampling devices for ecological studies and water quality analyses can be prohibitive. Moreover, the potential for operator error in the use of complicated sampling equipment can lead to inaccuracies.... more
In this overview, we consider the rationale and practice of invertebrate introductions into Lithuanian waters, the current distribution of introduced species, test the theoretical expectations of introduction of peracaridan species into... more
Resumo: No campo da Teologia da Educação Cristã há uma intensa preocupação com a absorção do conteúdo da parte do discente, ou seja, se o estudante está realmente aprendendo o que é ensinado por seus professores. Este trabalho, que... more
A simple pump sampler for shallow water bodies, constructed with materials that are affordable and readily available in the local market is presented. It is simple to operate and no electric motor is required. The challenge of cost of... more
Currently, all transoceanic vessels entering the Great Lakes must perform ballast water exchange or saltwater flushing, procedures designed to reduce the risk of new biological invasions from ballast water. Vessels not in compliance with... more
Currently, all transoceanic vessels entering the Great Lakes must perform ballast water exchange or saltwater flushing, procedures designed to reduce the risk of new biological invasions from ballast water. Vessels not in compliance with... more
Improvements in environmental policy require an accurate diagnosis of the shortcomings of existing policy. We develop a model for assessing the efficacy of policy instruments aimed at reducing the introduction of nonindigenous species.... more
Ballast water remains a potent vector of non-native aquatic species introductions, despite increased global efforts to reduce risk of ballast water mediated invasions. This is particularly true of intracoastal vessel traffic, whose... more
Ballast water is a major vector of non-indigenous species introductions worldwide. Our understanding of the population dynamics of organisms entrained in the vector is largely limited to studies of zooplankton and phytoplankton. Bacteria... more
The human mediated transfer of aquatic organisms and pathogens via shipping, specifically with ballast water, is a continuing global threat to biodiversity, human health and economic values. In February 2004, as a result of long-term... more
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry does not accept any responsibility or liability for error or fact omission, interpretation or opinion... more
While every effort has been made to ensure the information in this publication is accurate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry does not accept any responsibility or liability for error or fact omission, interpretation or opinion... more
To limit the spread of non-indigenous marine species, ships can be legally required to conduct ballast water exchange (BWE) prior to discharging ballast water. It has been proposed to verify BWE by measuring concentrations of coastal... more
The release of ballast water carried by international shipping traffic into freshwater and marine ports has previously resulted in ecosystem devastation and substantial economic costs from the invasion and establishment of exotic species... more
The cycling of manganese between soluble Mn(II) and particulate manganese oxides was investigated in the upper 750 m at a station in the southwestern Sargasso Sea. Dissolved manganese was present at a maximum concentration (4.3 + 0.6 nM)... more
A trans-Pacific voyage from Japan to New Zealand via Singapore was used to assess planktonic (and sediment-dwelling) communities as indicators of open ocean ballast water exchange (BWE). The research was part of a larger project to... more
The identification and risk assessment of potential biological invaders would provide valuable criteria for the allocation of resources toward the detection and control of invasion threats. Yet, freshwater biologists have made few... more
Ship ballast water is believed to be responsible for global dispersal of alien biota; midocean ballast water exchange is most commonly used to mitigate this process. Diatoms are among the most abundant biotic-component in ballast water,... more
L'Amphipode Corophiurn curvispinurn et la Palourde Asiatique Corbicula sp., deux nouveaux immigrants du fleuve Rhin, ont été collectés par dragage à une profondeur de 1 à 4 mètres dans le cours français de la Moselle. Ils sont déjà... more
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