The Water Institute of the Republic of Slovenia was the lead partner in the international strategic project BALMAS – Ballast Water Management System for the Protection of the Adriatic Sea (BALlast water Management system for Adriatic Sea protection), which was 85 per cent co-financed by the European Union under the IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Programme 2007–2013, with the remaining 15 per cent co-financed at national level by the individual project partners, namely 10 per cent by the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion Policy and 5 per cent by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning. The project involved 16 partners and 7 associated partners from six countries in the Adriatic region (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania).
The aim of the project was to establish a cross-border system linking experts and the relevant national authorities in the field of ballast water control and management in the Adriatic Sea.
As part of the BALMAS project, we have prepared:
- Guidelines for the implementation of common methods and approaches to prevent the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens via ballast water;
- A decision-support system for the management of ship ballast water, risk assessment and appropriate ballast water sampling methods in accordance with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments;
- A comprehensive implementation plan for the management of ship ballast water in the Adriatic Sea, which has been harmonised across the entire Adriatic Sea in accordance with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (2004);
- A strategy for the management of ship ballast water in the Adriatic Sea, which takes into account long-term financial, institutional and political aspects.
The results of the BALMAS project are in line with the environmental and other objectives of the European Marine Directive and the European Maritime Policy by preventing significant impacts on, or risks to, the marine environment, ensuring that the presence of pollutants in the marine environment and their biological impacts are kept within acceptable limits.
The project’s scope also stems from the activities and conclusions of the Joint Slovenian-Italian-Croatian Joint Commission for the Protection of the Adriatic Sea and Coastal Areas against Pollution and its Sub-Commission on the Management of Ballast Water in the Adriatic, where the Adriatic states have identified this issue as a priority.
A documentary film about the project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4_D2myKJHc
Publications
Penko L., Zupančič G., Kocijančič U., Popit A., Gorišek M., Aubreht A., Forte C., Magaletti E., Marini M., Grilli F., Bastianini M., Ninčević-Gladan Ž., Zec D., Joksimović D., Markovčič-Kostelac M., Vidas S. (2016) Integrated Operational Plan for Ballast Water Management in the Adriatic. Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana.
Markovčič-Kostelac M., Zec D., Rak G. (2016) Ballast Water Management Strategy for the Adriatic. Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, Ljubljana.
Related content
- BALMAS
- IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Programme 2007–2013
- European Commission
- Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion Policy
- Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning
Logos
Keywords
About the project
Project
value:
EUR 7,157,158
Client
IPA Adriatic Cross-Border Programme 2007–2013
Project Manager
Karin Kompare
Project coordinator
Dr Andreja Popit
Project team
Dr Andreja Popit
Dr Leon Gosar
Urška Kocijančič
Gašper Zupančič
Karin Kompare
Saša Starec
Klemen Šavli
Teja Muha, MA
Sabina Dolič
Aleksandra Aubreht
Dr Metka Gorišek
Klara Rozman
Dr Špela Koren
Dr Katja Klančnik
Ludvik Penko
Ljudmil Velkavrh
Project duration
2013–2016
Contact
Dr Andreja Popit
OTHER INTERNATIONAL REFERENCES
