SafeMed training addresses environmental risks of ballast water

News

SafeMed training addresses environmental risks of ballast water

16-05-2012

Officials from twelve Mediterranean partner countries including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority and Tunisia, attended a training course held by the EU-funded project SafeMed II on methods of reducing environmental risks of invasive alien species transferred through ships’ ballast water in the Mediterranean Sea.

The training and instruction emphasised the effective implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), which offers a set of international measures for minimizing the translocation of marine species through ballast water.

“Preventing the transfer of marine species is a global responsibility, requiring a coordinated effort from Governments’ Administrations the world over,” said SafeMed Project Co-ordinator Jonathan Pace. “This training course sought to deliver Project Beneficiaries with a common set of knowledge and skills for a more uniform implementation of the BWM Convention across the Mediterranean region.”

The training, held in Malta on 8 and 9 May, was aimed at officials from maritime administrations responsible for the implementation of the BWM Convention. In line with this, the best practices for monitoring and enforcement of the BWM Convention requirements were identified and discussed in an open and engaging debate.

The €5.5 million SafeMed II project seeks to mitigate the existing imbalance between the participating partners that are EU Mediterranean member states and the non EU members from the region in the application of maritime legislation. Among its activities, it funds scholarships to internationally recognized maritime universities. (EU Neighbourhood Info)

Read more

Press release

SafeMed II – fiche and news

SafeMed II – website

ENPI Info Centre – Interview with Albert Bergonzo - Safemed II

NEWS

UfM to launch training project to promote competitiveness and job creation in the Mediterranean logistics industry
The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will hold the...

Egypt: conference on intelligent transport systems to increase transportation safety and efficiency
Intelligent transport systems were in the spotlight this week in a conference...

CUSTOM MED builds synergies with other projects facilitating maritime freight exchanges in the Mediterranean
The CBCMed-funded project CUSTOM MED(Improving the goods circulation...

FEATURES

EuropeAid Feature - Building the Mediterranean Motorways of the Sea (MoS) - The sea: no longer an obstacle but the engine of trade
Efficient transport links between the EU and its 10 Mediterranean partners,...

A new vision for cargo freight
Imagine you could take container traffic off the roads and put it onto boats...