Recently, the Hainan Provincial Department of Transportation publicly issued the first public notice of the environmental impact assessment of “Haikou Port Overall Plan” (Revised). The Invasive Alien Species Working Group of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) responded positively to the call, and after careful study, the CBCGDF Invasive Alien Species Working Group recommends that the management of “Ships' Ballast Water” be explicitly included in the new version of “Haikou Port Overall Plan”. 

The reasons are as follows:

(i) Ships' Ballast Water, as an important carrier of invasive alien species, poses a potential threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem stability. A wide range of organisms may be present in ships’ ballast water, including microorganisms, plankton, and eggs, larvae or adults of plants and animals. When the ballast water is discharged into new environments, these organisms can enter unfamiliar ecosystems and establish new populations.

(ii) This is a need for international compliance. The International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, commonly referred to as the Ballast Water Management Convention, was promulgated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2004 to prevent the spread of harmful alien species by ships through ballast water. In order to ensure its effective implementation, the Convention provides for an international ballast water management certification scheme for ships and requires States parties to inspect and monitor ships. Contracting Parties are also required to establish national ballast water management regulations & policies and offer appropriate guidance and training. On October 22, 2018, the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom formally presented China's instrument of accession to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (hereinafter referred to as the Ballast Water Convention) to the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Kiser Lin, on behalf of the Chinese government, and the Ballast Water Convention officially entered into force for China from January 22, 2019 onwards. Therefore, it is also a requirement for international compliance to specify the management requirements of "ships’ ballast water" in the new version of “Haikou Port Overall Plan”.

Original Chinese Article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/luOU2lc2JuUeJWynSNg-Ww

Translator: Samantha

Editor: Samantha

Contact: V10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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