BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – REGIONAL maritime and environmental officials will be meeting at the First Globallast Regional Task Force Meeting at the Holliday Inn Hotel in Panama City, Panama over the period December 7-10, 2009.

According to the Director of Maritime Affairs and National Focal Point on the Ballast Water Convention, McClean Hobson, the meeting is being held to develop a strategy and action plan to minimise the risk of harmful marine species invading marine life in some of the waters and seaports within the region through the discharge of Ballast Water. He also informed that the marine invasive species include the Sea Lion and Lime Fish.

Hobson told this media house that he and Allison Isaac of the Attorney General’s Chambers would be attending the meeting on behalf of the government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

He declared that the ports of the Federation are impacted by the discharge of Ballast Water but he does not know to what extent.

“In the case of St. Kitts and Nevis, I do not know the extent of the impact of marine invasive species through the discharge of Ballast Water. It is my personal belief however, that our waters, mainly the ports, are being impacted by the discharge of Ballast Water. The challenge is to find out the extent of the impact and also a solution to it.

“So far, to minimise this scourge, St. Kitts and Nevis has ratified the Ballast Water Convention and we are currently reviewing and studying the Ballast Water regulations with the aim of giving full effect into our local laws. In addition, efforts are ongoing to source training and enforcement and technical assistance to carry out a baseline study at our ports,” Hobson said.

As defined by the Canadian Ballast Water Programme, “Ballast is defined as any solid or liquid that is brought on board a vessel to increase the draft, change the trim, regulate the stability or to maintain stress loads within acceptable limits. Prior to the 1880s, ships used solid ballast materials such as rocks and sand, which had to be manually shovelled into cargo holds, and similarly discharged when cargo was to be loaded on board. If not properly secured, solid ballast was prone to shifting in heavy seas causing instability.

“With the introduction of steel-hulled vessels and pumping technology, water became the ballast of choice. Water can be easily pumped in and out of ballast tanks, requires little manpower, and as long as tanks are kept full, poses little to no stability problems.”