DHI conducted the first shipboard tests of ballast water management systems according to the IMO G8 guidelines, enabling clients to enter the final approval stage.
The tests followed the guidelines by the International Marine Organisation (IMO), which requires that all ships install Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) to treat their ballast water before it is released to the environment. Thereby, the risk of spreading harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens will be reduced.
The approval process for BWMS includes a basic approval, land based testing and ship-based testing followed by final approval and the issue of a type approval certificate. DHI now initiated the ship-based testing phase for several clients under the IMO G8 scheme, which concerns systems that do not use an active substance, and completed the first test cycles. Tests were carried out in harbours in Denmark, Jamaica, Portugal and Spain. Additional test cycles will be conducted after six months.
Basically, shipboard testing applies the same methods that are used in land-based tests, including viable zooplankton counts and a regrowth phytoplankton assay for assessment of viable algae.
If you want to learn more about our Ballast Water Test Facilities and our methods for shipboard testing, don’t hesitate to get in touch or visit us at the IMarEST Ballast Water Technology Conference, London, 23-24 February 2012.