Volvo Ocean Race marine study

The dedicated media crew member on each racing yacht will take regular water samples using a sophisticated testing process based on bioluminescence with a measuring instrument called a luminometer. The research at sea involves recording the mass of species in the sample and reporting the results. A scientific report of the findings will be published post-race.

The race route allows scientists a rare opportunity to analyse the biomass of the water in open seas not on the regular shipping routes while the project provides an opportunity to advance scientific research as to how foreign invaders found in ballast water are upsetting the eco-systems in the world's great oceans.

"Invasive species are one of the four major threats to the world's oceans, the other three being global climate change, marine pollution and overfishing", said Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics' global head of environment, Melanie Moore.

"What we want to look at is the mass of species along the race route. That's the benefit of what the crew can do for us. It's about conducting research that will go towards creating some better ballast water treatment systems for the future", she said.

The UN's marine body, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), is in the process of getting member nations to ratify a convention which would force countries to ensure that their ships treat ballast water so that it doesn't carry invasive species to other oceans.

Every country on the 2008-2009 race route is under threat from invasive marine species.

The 37,000nm Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 starts from Alicante, Spain, on October 4, and takes in Cochin, Singapore and Qingdao for the first time before finishing in St Petersburg, Russie for the first time also.