International Legal Regulation and Control in the Sphere of Introduction of Alien Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens as a Result of Discharge of Ship’s Ballast Water
The value of the World Ocean is so important that it is extremely difficult to appreciate it. Scientists have proved that the life can exist only on planets where a large part of the surface is occupied by water. For many years, protection and preservation of the World Ocean during the operation of transport vehicles has been limited only to purification of the waters polluted by oil. However, the scientific research carried out in many countries of the world has managed to prove that biological pollution can cause much more destructive consequences because of its irreversible character. Discharge of ballast water by ships is considered as a type of such pollution. More than 7000 invasive alien species of microorganisms, which successfully survive and adapt to new living conditions, are transferred every day with ballast water from one region to another. Every vessel transporting and discharging ballast water can be considered as a source of potential danger. Therefore, governments around the world actively discuss this problem. Despite internationally coordinated actions do not cover all areas, there are examples indicating that constructive solutions to the problem can be achieved. Reasons for the protracted signing of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWМ Convention, 2004), as well as a number of measures to be taken in the shortest possible time, are considered.