Shipping threatens marine life

 Papua New Guinea’s rich marine resources face a number of significant threats from shipping activities in the country, National Marine Safety Authority chief executive officer Paul Unas says.

He was speaking at a two-day workshop that saw stakeholders in the shipping industry participated in an informative course on “compliance, monitoring and enforcement of the ballast water management convention and port waste reception facilities gap analysis’’.

Unas said ballast water emptied by ships in ports threatened waterways with potentially harmful pathogens and aquatic organisms.

These harmful pathogens and organisms could destroy coastal village livelihoods, infrastructure and may became a health risk for humans if they had the potential to infest,” he said.

The ballast water management and guideline aims to prevent, reduce and eliminate risks to the environment, humans, health and resources caused by ships through the control and management of ballast water and sediments.

International Maritime Organisation sponsored the workshop, which aims to introduce stakeholders to the ballast water management convention and guidelines to the stakeholders.

Unas said shipping was essential to the global economy and the workshop was timely.