Ballast water is a significant vector for the transport and introduction of aquatic organisms, microorganisms and chemical pollutants which impacts on ecosystems worldwide. In the study, ballast water from short- and long- range vessels with treatment systems was microbiologically evaluated in spring (April 20th) and summer (July 19th) and compared with waters of the main Police Seaport in the Odra River Estuary, southern Baltic Sea. All collected samples were evaluated for their physicochemical properties by standard methods. The number of individual groups of microorganisms was determined using the indirect culture method, according to the technique of inoculation of serial dilutions of samples of the examined waters. The results showed differences in the microorganisms in analysed samples. The phylogenetic analysis of bacteria recorded from the ballast water of short-range ships in spring showed the presence of six species of the genus Bordetella, while in summer four species of the genus Clostridium. In the ballast water of long-range ships, proteolytic bacteria pre-dominated in spring and halophilic bacteria in summer. In the summer period, eight species of bacteria were recorded, of which six belonged to the genus Clostridium. The ballast water treatment processes used on ships influence the composition of bacterial communities through selective recolonisation of water, which may transform bacterial functions as an important element of the marine food web. On the other hand, the presence of pathogenic bacterial species in the tested samples indicates improvement necessity of ballast water treatment systems used on vessels.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the positioning of Ukraine in the global indices of innovative development and competitiveness, to evaluate the indicators of innovation activity and, based on the outcomes of the research, to determine the place of Ukraine in the global innovation space. The dynamics of innovation activity on an international scale based on the consolidated indicators of the Global Innovation Index are presented. Ukraine’s position in it and progress in achieving goals to better understand the processes that stimulate or constrain innovation are determined. Econometric methods to generalize the positioning of Ukraine in the global innovation space and the DEA method to study the relative individual effectiveness of the innovation environment and innovation activities in Europe are used.