ICES/IOC/IMO Working Group on Ballast  and other Ship Vectors (WGBOSV):

The Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors (WGBOSV) provides scientific support to the development of international measures aimed at reducing the risk of transporting non-native species via shipping activities.

As a joint working group, WGBOSV follows and supports the work of its three umbrella organizations: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Council for the Exploration of ICES.

Topics addressed by the group include: reviews of shipping vectors and progress in ballast water research; risk assessment methods and testing of ballast water treatment techniques; recommendations on port ballast water sampling programes; considerations of discharge standards for organisms in ballast water; and hull fouling regulations and treatment options. ​

Joint Working Group Members in March 4, 2020, Gdynia,Poland

More information can be found at: https://www.ices.dk/community/groups/pages/wgbosv.aspx

2021 Report of the Joint ICES/IOC/IMO Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors (WGBOSV) is now available on the WGBOSV community page.