Keeping Polar Regions Ecologically Safe

By Carine Magdo

This article was written in partnership with Seaborne Communications.

Ballast Water Management in the Arctic

With a growing trend in expedition-type cruising and an increase in commercial shipping traffic navigating the Northern Sea Route and to a lesser extent the Northwest Passage, the need for the regular and accurate monitoring of a passenger vessel’s ballast water treatment system (BWTS) has never been so acute.

As Arctic sea ice declines and stretches of the Northern Sea Route become ice-free during extended summer months, the number of vessels navigating the route will increase, potentially risking the introduction of non-indigenous aquatic species to areas of ecological sensitivity if ballast water system performance is not regularly monitored.