Ballast Water

Many cargo ships use ballast water during transport. The ballast water can contain so-called invasive species, which are small marine animals and other organisms that live where the ballast water is taken on board. When the ballast water is later discharged in a different ecosystem, where the ship has sailed to, the invasive species can pose a threat to the marine environment.

Therefore, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, adopted a convention in 2004 that requires ships to treat ballast water before discharging it into the sea. The convention entered into force on September 8, 2017, and must be fully implemented by September 8, 2024.

Below you will find Danish Shipping's Policy Paper on ballast water. Here you can read more about the technical and political challenges associated with ballast water treatment.

The Little Blue Book on Ballast Water

Danish Shipping published "The Little Blue Book on Ballast Water" in September 2017.

The brochure is intended to assist shipping companies in the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention and serves as a guideline that can be used on board ships by the ship's master, officers, and the shore-based personnel involved in the implementation of the convention.

The initiative to publish "The Little Blue Book on Ballast Water" came from Danish Shipping, and the brochure itself was developed by LITEHAUZ with support from the Danish Maritime Fund.