GloBallast Programme

Following the success of the original ‘Global Ballast Water Management’ Project, IMO is currently executing the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloBallast Partnerships Programme (2008-2016) to sustain the global momentum in tackling the ballast water problem and to catalyse innovative global partnerships to develop solutions.

 

The full title of this project is Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water. It is more simply referred to as GloBallast Partnerships (GBP).

GBP’s main aim is to assist developing countries to reduce the risk of aquatic bio-invasions mediated by ships’ ballast water and sediments. With the help of tools developed and lessons learned from the pilot project, GBP is working to:

The Project also aims to spur global efforts to develop technology solutions, and enhance global knowledge management and information exchange to support marine biosecurity initiatives.

 

GBP has a significant Public-Private Sector Partnership component. Private sector participation is achieved through the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) and GIA Fund, established with partners from major maritime companies. The current GIA members include shipping giants such as Keppel Offshore and Marine (KOM) and APL.

In 2010, GloBallast and the European Bank for Reconstruction and development (EBRD) joined hands together through an innovative partnership to build ballast water management related capacity in the EBRD region. This partnership is titled IMO-EBRD Marine Biosafety Initiative (MBI).