Do you ever wonder why some water is super unclean? Why do people have to boil water in some countries?
Hello Mrs. Bennett and fellow classmates, today I will be telling you why we are trying to keep our water clean. Have you ever heard of tiny little species called plankton, well they are getting into our ballast water. You will find out how plankton gets into our water. I will also tell you ways that we can keep our water clean. First of all, I need to tell you more about what ballast water is and why it is important for modern ships. I also have to explain what ocean plankton is.
Ballast water is fresh or saltwater in cargo holds of ships. It is used to increase ship stability and maneuverability when at sea. It helps ships have the same weight when they have no cargo. For example, a tanker can transport 80 tons of oil from Vancouver to Hong Kong. On the way back to Vancouver it needs 80 tons of ballast water to be stable in the ocean. So ballast water is a type of water that comes from other countries and is delivered to our country. When ships need ballast, they pump water into the ballast water tanks, which adds weight to key parts of the ship. Then it is released into our coastline when the ship arrives in Canada and is taking new cargo.
Plankton is a collection of very small organisms drifting in the ocean. They include bacteria and other microscopic animals. Plankton is basic food for many ocean animals. Many creatures feed on plankton such as whales, dolphins, and some fish all eat plankton. But if two types of plankton come in contact it may kill one of them. So Canadian plankton native to Canada may get killed by Chinese plankton from ballast water taken in China.
Plankton can be in ballast water coming from a different country. Imagine you see a ballast water delivery from China to Canada. There are different types of tiny species in those countries so if just a few microbes enter our waters it can kill our microbes and bacteria. Ships can depart from another country then stop at 2 or 3 countries to have ballast water refilled. Many programs are trying to prevent plankton and microbes getting into ballast water. Before ballast water is released from ships to the oceans organism-free, UV technology (aka ultraviolet) is used by ships to purify it so it will be safe to be released.
In conclusion, I explained all this to you to show how shipping companies in the world follow the policy of clean ballast water that protects our oceans and their species. I am also proud to say that my parents helped this work in the Government of Canada Ocean Protection Program.