INTERNATIONAL WATERS
EXPERIENCE NOTES

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2009-02

Global Industry Alliance:
Partnerships for Change


Abstract: The overall objective of GloBallast Partnerships is to catalyze global partnerships that will
implement coordinated long-term measures to minimize the adverse impacts of aquatic invasive species
transferred through ships' ballast water on coastal and marine ecosystems, economy and human health.
Market studies have estimated that the total market for ballast water management technologies may
reach $15 billion or more as a result of the requirement of the International Convention on Ballast Water
Management adopted in 2004. This suggests that there is ample room for market forces to drive
innovation, and that a close partnership with industry is crucial if technological solutions are to be
achieved in the near term. GloBallast Partnerships therefore established in March 2009, a pioneering
public-private sector partnership titled "Global Industry Alliance for Marine Biosecurity (GIA)". The
objective of GIA is to implement activities that will overcome specific technological hurdles and to
maximize global environmental benefits from addressing this issue in a cost-effective manner. By forging
this alliance, IMO together with GEF, UNDP and the four founding private sector partners, has laid the
foundation of what has the potential to mature into a very significant global partnership embracing a wide
community of key maritime industry players. It is clear that the GIA is the start of a new chain of
partnership initiatives and it is expected that this partnership will also serve as a model for future such
alliances to address other marine environmental protection issues.

Jose Matheickal (jmatheic@imo.org)
Chief Technical Adviser (GloBallast Partnerships), IMO
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Global Industry Alliance: Partnerships for Change

Experience of the GEF - sponsored

GEF-UNDP-IMO: Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to
Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water
(GloBallast Partnerships)
GEFID: 2261, UNDP: 3050

PROJECT DESCRIPTION


Past market studies (Royal Haskoning,
The overall objective of GloBallast Partnerships
Netherlands) estimated that the total market for
is to promote the development of global
ballast treatment technologies for the next 10 to
partnerships that will implement coordinated
15 years may reach US$15 billion or more as a
long-term measures to minimize the adverse
result of the Convention requirements. This
impacts of aquatic invasive species transferred
suggests that there is ample room for market
through ships' ballast water in accordance with
forces to drive innovation, and it strongly
the International Convention on Ballast Water
suggests that a close partnership with industry is
Management adopted by the International
crucial if treatment solutions are to be achieved
Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2004. With the
in the near term. Although several research and
help of tools developed and lessons learned
development (R&D) efforts are currently
from a GEF-UNDP-IMO pilot project, the
underway, one of the difficulties faced by this
GloBallast Partnerships project aims to expand
diverse global R&D effort is the lack of effective
government and port management capacities,
lines of communication between these groups
instigate legal, policy and institutional reforms
and with governments and the shipping industry.
and drive regional cooperation. The partnership

effort is three-tiered, involving global, regional
THE EXPERIENCE
and country-specific partners, representing

government, industry and non-governmental
Issue
organizations. Thirteen countries, from 6 high

priority regions, are taking a lead partnering role,
Technology development represents an aspect
focusing on legal, policy and institutional
of the ballast water issue that is ideally suited to
reforms. All told, more than 70 countries in 14
industry involvement and leadership. Given an
regions across the globe are benefitting from
increasing need to facilitate technology transfer
the Project. GloBallast Partnerships project was
towards developing countries and ensure global
launched in January 2008 and is expected to run
sustainability through North-South collaboration,
until 2012.
Component 4 of the GloBallast Partnerships

project sets out to address the issue with
A crucial part of the effort to address ballast
financing from industry partners through the
water issues is in the area of research and
development of an innovative partnership model.
development into cost-effective ballast water

management solutions. Under the Ballast Water
Addressing the Issue
Management Convention and subsequent IMO

Assembly resolutions, some ships will be
The Global Industry Alliance (GIA) was launched
required to have on-board treatment systems in
in March 2009. This unique Alliance, facilitated
place by as early as 2011, and all the ships
by the GloBallast Partnerships Project and made
engaged in international trade would be required
up of a truly pioneering partnership between the
to fit such systems by 2016. This means that it is
IMO and major private shipping corporations,
essential that the current technology hurdles
aims to harness the different skills and expertise
related to space constraints onboard ship, high
brought by these industry groups in order to
flow-rate, retrofitting and compliance monitoring
develop concrete solutions to this serious global
etc., are overcome, and effective treatment
environmental issue.
solutions have been scale-tested and installed

as early as possible.
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The GIA acts as a vehicle to accelerate
development of industry focused training
development of innovative technological
packages and global R&D fora.
solutions and management tools to address the

ballast water issue. Those solutions may include
innovative treatment and monitoring
technologies for ballast water management as
well as alternative management options such as
'flow thru' ballast tanks and `ballast-free ships'.
The GIA activities will also include the
establishment of a ballast water information
exchange mechanism, development of training
tools targeted at maritime industry, co-
organizing global conferences on technology
developments, establishing an industry dialogue
forum, and activities that promote technology
transfer within industry.

The GIA is hosted by the IMO in London and its
Launching the GIA in 2009, the Secretary-
founding members include four major shipping
General of IMO, Mr. Efthimios Mitropoulos, said
corporations: APL, BP Shipping, Daewoo
"while recognizing that time is not on our side in
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME),
our fight against invasive species, we should
and Vela Marine International. Several other
look at this innovative alliance and its expected
shipping corporations have expressed their
outcomes as a development that sends an
interest to join. GIA activities are funded
optimistic message to the global community that,
through a GIA Fund which is established from
while the challenges appear to be significant,
annual membership fees contributed by the GIA
they are not insurmountable. With the effective
industry partners. IMO acts as the fiduciary of
and intelligent use of resources, and through an
this Fund and the GloBallast Partnerships
integrated and collaborative approach, answers
project coordination unit (PCU) acts as the
to these challenges can and will be found, so
Secretariat of GIA.
that shipping and the environment can

strengthen their harmonious relationship, to the
RESULTS AND LEARNING
benefit of all".


Developing the GIA Concept
Formation of the GIA has resulted in some

excellent outcomes and impacts both in terms of
The idea of establishing the GIA was first
forging a partnership to accelerate cost-effective
discussed during the preparatory phase of the
technology solutions that are much needed by
GloBallast Partnerships project, in 2005. Forging
developing countries and in terms of sending a
such a global alliance was an ambitious target,
positive message to the policy makers that the
considering the complexity and technical nature
shipping industry, which is responsible for the
of the ballast water issues. Nevertheless, the
issue, is ready to act and will support
concept was soon embraced by the GIA
government initiatives. This global level
founding partners ­ partners, incidentally, with
partnership will have a significant multiplier
whom GloBallast had already enjoyed very
effect as similar alliances are expected to be
fruitful collaboration in the past, notably in the
replicated at regional and national level
co-production of the award winning TV
facilitating the dialogue between industry and
documentary "Invaders from the Sea".
policy makers at local level.


Partnerships in Practice
"The enthusiasm and commitment from the GIA

partners has so far been great and there is
The GIA, soon after its official launch on March
tremendous goodwill out there to support
2nd 2009, was quick to identify a number of
GloBallast Partnerships and its objectives. The
activities. Within six months of inception, the GIA
very productive GIA Task Force Meetings and
commissioned five major activities ranging from
efficient project selection and funding process,
GIA-CARES (communication and awareness
clearly demonstrate the trust built among all the
raising for environmental sustainability) to the
partners and the very high spirit of cooperation.
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This is truly a global environmental partnership
cooperation on a global environmental issue, on
in practice" says Mr. Miguel Palomares, Director,
par with how the world took decisive steps to
Marine Environment Division of IMO.
address ozone-depleting substances through

the Montreal Protocol," said Andrew Hudson,
AGENTS OF CHANGE
Cluster Leader of Water Governance

Programme & Principal Technical Advisor,
A major factor that has played a crucial role in
International Waters at UNDP.
the success of GIA is that the partnership has a

clear and very specific focus with a clear set of
objectives for the partners to address. There has
also been a willingness from everyone's part to
understand the nature of the problem, especially
how those problems look from the point of view
of those most directly affected. Most importantly
all the founding partners of GIA have been
directly engaged in developing solutions.
Advantages of pooling expertise and resources
together to overcome certain common
technology hurdles were obvious to all partners.

This strategic advantage, further supported by
the innovative and flexible nature of GIA

partnership model and the opportunity and
REFERENCES
willingness to take ownership of the partnership

by all parties has tremendously helped in
For further information please contact GIA
bringing a great sense of focus and trust. The
Secretariat at:
ownership sense has been achieved by
GloBallast Partnerships PCU,
entrusting the decision-making function to a GIA
Marine Environment Division
Task Force comprising the industry partners and
International Maritime Organization
by showing that there are real business benefits
4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR
from such as cooperation. As Mr. Fredrik Haag,
United Kingdom, jmatheic@imo.org
Technical Adviser of GloBallast Project, says:
Website: http://globallast.imo.org
"GIA aims to build a `partnership for change' and

to turn its members into `leaders and agents of
change' to address the biosecurity issues".

SIGNIFICANCE

Looking Ahead



KEYWORDS
By forging this alliance, IMO together with GEF,

UNDP and the four founding partners, has laid
Ballast water
the foundation of what has the potential to
Public-private partnership
mature into a very significant global partnership,

embracing a wide community of key maritime
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
industry players. Looking ahead, it is clear that
International Waters Experience Notes series
the GIA is the start of a new chain of partnership
helps the transboundary water management
initiatives and it is expected that this partnership
(TWM) community share its practical
will also serve as a model for future such
experiences to promote better TWM.
alliances to address other issues related to the
Experiences include successful practices,
safety and security of shipping and marine
approaches, strategies, lessons, methodologies,
environmental protection.
etc., that emerge in the context of TWM.


"The scope of this achievement should not be
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