Non-indigenous, nuisance and/or harmful species of aquatic micro-organisms are discharged into territorial waters by means of ballast water carried by ships from foreign ports. These micro-organisms are predominantly aerobic organisms that require oxygen throughout their life cycle, i.e., first as larvae or spores, then through their maturation process, finally as a mature organism. These aerobic micro-organisms obtain the necessary oxygen from “dissolved” atmospheric air present in the water contained in a vessel's ballast tanks. Dissolved air in water contains all the constituent gases present in the earth's atmosphere (including oxygen) that are not chemically bonded to the atomic elements of water. Therefore, the dissolved oxygen in water is freely available to sustain aquatic life.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds