Volvo Ocean Race increases awareness of global environmental threat
Hosted to a marine research project The 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race, which is nearing its climax and has reached Stockholm on Monday, has been host to a 37,000 mile marine research project to increase the awareness of one of the greatest environmental threats to the oceans – the spread of invasive species. The 18-month project, which is coming to a close, is being undertaken by leading independent provider of factory to dealer logistics, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics in partnership with the Swedish environmental technology company Wallenius Water. It aims to increase the knowledge of one of the greatest environmental threats to the oceans today – the spread of alien species through the release of ships’ ballast water. A problem which the international Maritime Organisation (IMO) labels as one of the biggest threats to the survival of the world’s oceans. The release of non-purified ballast water from ships, far from their port of origin, means that invasive marine species can be introduced into new ecosystems. With no natural enemies, they can alter entire local ecosystems, leading to the collapse of fisheries and threatening endangered species. Diseases such as cholera can be spread though invasive species and local tourist industries are at risk too. One of many examples of alien species cited by the WWF, the environmental organisation, are comb jellyfish, originally from America’s Atlantic coast, which have spread dramatically in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea decimating fish stocks. Volvo Ocean Race yacht crews, crossing the world from Spain via South Africa, India, Singapore, China, South and North America to Sweden and Russia, have been taking regular water samples from the sea to identify the amount of microscopic life (biomass) in the oceans. Wallenius Water is currently undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the results so far received from the 2000 water samples. Already some interesting trends from the research are emerging. They indicate that the amount of life in the open ocean areas sampled is similar to that in the coastal seawater areas, and show that they are “alive” with living sea organisms. The preliminary research results indicate that the current method of exchanging ballast water at sea is not an optimal method. Ships exchanging ballast water in some areas of open oceans could actually be transporting more micro-organisms than predicted. To try to resolve the issue of alien species in ballast water the IMO has developed their Ballast Water Management Convention which, once it enters into force, will require ships to clean their ballast water before discharge. Although the Convention was developed back in 2004 it has not yet been ratified by enough countries to take effect. Today, 18 countries which account for 15.36% of world merchant have signed the Convention, but the Convention will only come into being 12 months after 30 countries accounting for at least 35% of merchant fleet have ratified it. Quelle: Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics |