Ballast Water and the Transport of Harmful Algae
March 31, 2021
Commercial ships transport oil, iron ore, grain, and other cargo to ports worldwide. Most of these ships have large steel tanks, called ballast tanks, located along the sides and bottoms of their hulls. The ballast tanks contain seawater, or ballast water, which is pumped into or discharged from the ship during cargo transfer, usually in harbors and nearshore waters.