NIO to handle ballast water management in major ports

NIO to handle ballast water management in major ports
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 23
Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) will now handle ballast water management issue in all the major ports across the country, officials stated.
After handling ballast water management in four ports for last six years, the Dona Paula based institute has now been asked by Union Ministry of Shipping to handle the management at eight remaining major ports.
NIO which is expected to prepare a comprehensive port specific programme will handle ports of Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Haldia, Kandla, Tuticorin, Paradeep and Kolkata.
Earlier, ports of Mumbai, Mormugao and Visakhapatnam were covered since 2004 under ‘Globallast’ and ‘Government of India initiative’ programmes by NIO.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NIO and Directorate General of Shipping has already been signed.
Ballast water is the water discharged by Cargo vessels at the port. Since this discharged water, originally belongs to other region, it introduces vide range of living organisms, including pathogens, into alien regions, usually along the coasts of the continents.
NIO plans to carry out Port Biological Baseline Surveys and conduct Ballast Water Risk Assessment.
It will also develop Geographical Information System on ballast water management and will also identify suitable site for each port, through modeling studies, for discharge of ballast water in emergency situation.
Sources stated that necessary support in terms of funding and logistics is provided by the Ministry of Shipping through Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai.
“This programme will be executed by NIO at various ports with the participation of Universities and R&D institutions with relevant experience,” NIO officials said.
Over 90 per cent of the world cargo is mobilized through shipping and nearly 10 billion tones of ballast water is filled at one part of the ocean and discharged at the other.
The organisms discharged through ballast water can establish and invade an environment, if found suitable and pose economic and human health hazards.
“Many cases of marine bio-invasion have been reported and their harmful effects on the ecosystem and human health have been documented,” an official said. Therefore marine bio-invasion has been considered as one of the greatest threats that are challenging the health of the oceans.