New report finds LNG expansion raises invasive species risks in the Gulf of California

August 15 ------ Equal Routes and Nuestro Futuro have released a new issue brief warning that proposed LNG export terminals in the Gulf of California could increase the risk of ship-borne invasive species entering one of the world’s most biodiverse marine regions.

The brief, Invasive Species Risk from LNG Tanker Traffic in the Gulf of California, comes as attention is also focused on a similar threat in the Persian Gulf. A recent academic study warned that more than 1,500 tankers stranded amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have become heavily fouled with algae, barnacles, tunicates and other organisms, raising concerns that the vessels could become a major vector for invasive species once they resume trading.

According to Equal Routes and Nuestro Futuro, the Gulf of California faces two related pathways for the introduction of non-native species as LNG tanker traffic increases: organisms transported on vessel hulls and those carried in ballast water. The organizations warn that a sustained rise in LNG shipping could amplify both risks in the Gulf’s sensitive marine ecosystem.

The proposed Saguaro LNG export terminal alone could discharge up to 30 billion litters of ballast water annually at full capacity. Even with IMO-certified ballast water management systems, 29–44% of treated discharges fail to remove organisms ≥50 micrometer’s (µm).

On long, single-stop LNG voyages (20+ days in ballast), microbial regrowth can cause post-treatment organism concentrations to match or exceed pre-treatment levels by discharge. When combined with documented treatment failures, projected increases in LNG traffic could translate directly into higher invasion risk in the GoC through ballast water discharge. "Ships have been moving invasive species around the world for decades, but the Gulf of California hasn’t faced this kind of shipping pressure before. What’s happening right now with the ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz shows exactly what we’re worried about here: once ballast water and biofouling start moving invasive species at scale, there’s no realistic way to undo it," said Sandra Moguel, Legal Research & Coordination Lead, Equal Routes, noting that as current local and international regulations and prevention methods are insufficient to eradicate the damages, prevention has to come before the tankers arrive, not after.

Furthermore, between 1992 and 2019, aquatic and semi-aquatic invasive species cost Mexico an estimated $4.16 billion USD — 78% of all invasive-species damage in the country during that period. Once established, invasive species are almost never removed.

Although GoC-specific invasive species research remains limited, of 39 non-native invertebrate species introduced into the GoC, 23 aquatic species were detected within the ecoregion’s marinas, ports, and aquaculture farms as of 2014.

Across 25 protected areas in Mexico, 22 aquatic invasive species have been documented, with commercial shipping, particularly ballast water discharge, identified as the likely vector for most of these species. Ballast water discharged by oil tankers at the offshore PEMEX Cayo Arcas terminal in Mexico (Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico) was shown to carry nutrients, phytoplankton, and potentially pathogenic microorganisms, including species associated with coral diseases. "The Gulf of California holds a third of the world’s whale and dolphin species, and the communities along its shores depend on these waters for their food and their way of life. Decision-makers are not taking into account the irreversible impacts that invasive species can have on this ecosystem. We are talking about a point of no return, which would trigger irreversible ecological impacts. This brief gives us the evidence we need to keep pushing for real protections before LNG traffic begins," commented Nora Cabrera, General Director of Nuestro Futuro.

Source: safety4sea.com