Ballast Systems Designed to Keep Non-Native Organisms at Bay
The maritime industry is closer to solving the age-old problem of preventing aquatic organisms from hitchhiking across the globe in the bellies of its vessels.
Ships are now required to install complex systems that prevent invasive species from finding new homes, spurring a multibillion-dollar industry for companies that can master the technology.
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"It's a technology-forcing statute," said Jeanne Grasso, a partner at law firm Blank Rome and co-chair of the firm's maritime practice group. "The technology was unable to catch up with the requirements. Because unlike shore-side facilities, you have a vessel which moves around the world and operates in many different environments, from warm water to cold water and from freshwater to saltwater."
That created unease among companies in the shipping industry. They didn't want to spend money on technology that didn't work or would need to be replaced in a few years.
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"Ballast Systems Designed to Keep Non-Native Organisms at Bay," by Andrea Rumbaugh was published in Houston Chronicle on December 8, 2017.