Ballast water management in the Baltic Sea

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), comprising of nine Baltic Sea countries and the European Union, is working to protect the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, including biological pollution from alien species. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, singed by Contracting States’ environmentministers and EU, includes a Road Map for harmonized implementation and ratification of the International Convention for Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, with an overall aim of all Baltic Sea countries ratifying the Convention latest in 2013.