This dataset includes the data used in in the HELCOM/OSPAR Ballast Water Exemptions Decision Support Tool. This tool was developed in 2013 based on the overall IMO framework, the 21 Baltic and North-East Atlantic coastal states and the EU. It allows user to define 'low risk' routes, as well as other necessary steps in granting exemptions under regulation A-4 of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC)

Citation: HELCOM/OSPAR Joint Ballast Water Exemptions Decision Support Tool: https://maps.helcom.fi/website/RA_tool/ HELCOM and OSPAR, 2020

Published: September 17, 2025 at 10:19

URL: http://ipt.vliz.be/eurobis/resource?r=helcom_ospar_ballast_water_observations

OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic
OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic

Helsinki Commission
Helsinki Commission

Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)

17,134

occurrence records

3,936

measurements and facts

1,018

taxa

966

species

Taxa

Missing and invalid fields

Field	Missing	Invalid
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	17,134		100.0%
maximumDepthInMeters	17,134		100.0%
minimumDepthInMeters	17,134		100.0%
scientificNameID	74	2,663	16.0%

Quality flags

The OBIS data quality flags are documented at https://github.com/iobis/obis-qc.

Flag	Records
NO_DEPTH	17,134	100.0%
ON_LAND	11,410	66.6%
NO_MATCH	2,706	15.8%
NO_ACCEPTED_NAME	1,440	8.4%
NOT_MARINE	1,074	6.3%
MARINE_UNSURE	492	2.9%
WORMS_ANNOTATION_REJECT_HABITAT	5	0.0%

HELCOM/OSPAR Ballast water observations

Taxa

Missing and invalid fields

Quality flags

Measurement types

DNA derived data