Turkmen delegation attended seminar on IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention in Batumi
Representatives of Turkmenistan participated in a regional seminar in Batumi, Georgia, organized by the International Maritime Organization on Ballast Water Management Convention. The event was also attended by delegates from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Romania and Ukraine. The Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) was adopted in 2004 and entered into force last September. 59 countries, representing more than 65% of the world trade fleet tonnage, have joined this international instrument, aimed at countering the spread of alien aquatic biological resources migrating in ships' ballast water and posing a potential danger to local ecosystems. The key to preventing such risks is the timely identifying organisms and microbes in ballast water, as well as monitoring port marine environment where ballast water may be released. In this regard, during the seminar, the experts presented a number of recommendations on the planning and conducting a port biological baseline survey using standardized protocols. These baseline surveys aim to provide inventories of marine life in and around commercial ports frequented by ships carrying ballast water, to determine if there are any non-indigenous species which have been introduced and provide a baseline of biological data against which future changes can be measured. The training also included theoretical and practical sessions in compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the BWM Convention and key requirements for countries preparing to enforce this document. In Turkmenistan, ensuring environmental safety is an integral part of the development strategies of almost all sectors of the economy. One of the striking examples of the work implemented in this direction is the project "Green Port" of the International seaport of Turkmenbashi. In order to protect the marine environment of the Caspian sea, innovative bio-cleaning equipment have been installed in each terminal and port facilities, and in general, the technical equipping of the complex is based on technologies that do not produce harmful wastes to nature.
