Environmental Baseline Study on Organisms and its Distribution in Ports of Malaysia: Port Klang Authority
Objectives of the Study
The purpose of the Project is to gather information that represents the local environment in its present state. It will provide details of the existing physico-chemical environment as well as the presence of a wide range of organisms and its distribution in the waters of Port Klang.
The environmental baseline study will form an integral part of the Port Klang Authority’s (PKA) future involvement in ballast water management and control of ships that is in line with the requirements of Article 6, in the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments 2004 (BWM Convention 2004) that was ratified by Malaysia on 27 September 2010. This study enables the authority and the various regulating bodies, to assess potential environmental risks and determine appropriate mitigation measures. Additionally, it will provide a reference point against the potential environmental impacts of harmful pathogens and aquatic organisms in ballast waters from being introduced into our waters. The objectives of the Project are:
- to identify and record the presence and distribution of marine species in the waters within Port Klang harbour limits;
- to determine the physico-chemical properties of water and sediment; and
- to identify the originality of the species found (where possible) and prepare specimens for deposition with the responsible authority (Ministry of Transport, Malaysia).
At the end of the Project, the rights to specimens and data will eventually belong to the Ministry of Transport (MOT)/ Marine Department where it will be immediately submitted when requested for collection and risk management purposes. However until further notice is given to submit to MOT, specimens will remain with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) at its main campus in Bangi, Selangor for a period agreed by both parties.
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Scopes of Study
The scope of study is based on the requirements of the following documents:
- Terms of Reference (ToR) of Baseline Study on Organisms and its Distribution in Ports of Malaysia.
- Malaysian Ports Environmental Management Study (MAPEMS): Survey Protocol for Indigenous, Non-indigenous Marine Species and Environment for Ports of Malaysia issued by the Ministry of Transport and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
The study will involve the collection and collation of baseline information on relevant components of the Port Klang marine environment and use these to interpret their existing state of the environment at the project area. The baseline information to be collected from field surveys and sampling would include:
- Marine water quality and the physico-chemical environment assessment of the port water and sediment, specifically in relation to its relevance to prevailing biodiversity.
- Biological diversity, which involves assessments of phytoplankton and their photosynthetic pigments, cyst forming species, zooplankton, fish and fish larvae, fouling organisms, bacteria and benthic communities in the area.
This baseline study is part of an action plan by Port Klang Authority (PKA) and respective ports within Port Klang to understand the marine environment before evaluating the risks associated with ballasting activities in Malaysian ports.