Great Ships Initiative News

SeaCURE Ballast Water Management System (BWMS), the electrochlorination based solution from Evoqua Water Technologies, has completed all biological efficacy U.S. Coast Guard Type-Approval tests. Tests were carried out under the supervision of classification society Lloyd’s Register and the independent laboratory NSF International will now compile test data for submission to the USCG for imminent approval. Matt Granitto, Business Manager, Ballast Water, said, “We are delighted…

Shipboard testing to be conducted on the vessel APL England as NEI takes the next step towards full USCG Type Approval for its Venturi Oxygen Stripping (VOS) Ballast Water Treatment System. NEI Treatment Systems announced that the container vessel APL England will be used for the shipboard testing phase of their VOS Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS), to begin in the early summer of 2015. The APL England is a 67.9K DWT container vessel, trading between China and multiple ports on the U.S. West Coast. The vessel utilizes a VOS system operating at 1,250 m3/hr., and was installed seven years ago. The retrofit project was completed as an in-service “riding” installation.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) is advertising the position of President and seeks highly qualified and motivated candidates to replace Allegra Cangelosi in that role. Ms. Cangelosi announced her interest in returning to project management and research work as the activities within the Great Ships Initiative pick up speed, and the NEMWI reaches solid financial footing with a robust staff and Board of Directors. Ms. Cangelosi noted "The organization grew much stronger under my executive leadership, and is now well poised to support a 'full-time' President. I thank the amazing staff and Board of the organization for making the dual role I have filled possible and helping the organization reach its current robust condition within the context of it. Ms.

The NSF International Independent Laboratory (IL), the first designated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to test ballast water management systems (BWMS) for U.S. type approval, will now include the American Bureau of Shipping’s (ABS) expertise. ABS will complete design/construction and documentation reviews as part of the type approval, and will work with three other IL partners to maximize the value of USCG type approval testing for BWMS manufacturers. ABS will also evaluate the appropriateness of the systems for installation and operation onboard vessels. NSF’s IL partnership, formed in 2012, includes Retlif Testing Laboratories, the Great Ships Initiative, the Maritime Environmental Resource Center and now ABS.

Retlif Testing Laboratories, a strategic compliance organization and a leading independent testing laboratories, is celebrating its 35th year of operations. President Walter Poggi officially announced the anniversary with a series of planned events and pledged to uphold the personal service that has been the organization’s hallmark since its inception. Founded in 1978 by Walter and Marilyn Poggi, Retlif provides EMC/EMI and environmental simulation testing services, approvals and certifications in support of clients in the marine and maritime fields.

Retlif Testing Laboratories, a strategic compliance organization and independent testing laboratory, is celebrating its 35th year of operations. President Walter Poggi officially announced the anniversary with a series of planned events and pledged to uphold the personal service that has been the organization’s hallmark since its inception. Founded in 1978 by Walter and Marilyn Poggi, Retlif provides EMC/EMI and environmental simulation testing services, approvals and certifications in support of clients in the marine and maritime fields.

On December 19, 2013 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will implement its new Vessel General Permit (VGP), which the Canadian Shipowners Association (CSA) said will demand a technical solution that is currently unavailable to the marine industry. However, there is little flexibility in the VGP to accommodate this delay, leaving shipowners with an impossible requirement, the CSA said. This untenable situation could lead to significant impacts for Canadian shipowners if left unresolved. Given the dependence of American and Canadian industry on the marine transportation sector, finding a short-term solution to facilitate commerce is imperative. The CSA has been working on multiple fronts to find relief from this situation of inflexibility.

A report released by the Canadian Shipowners Association (CSA) has found that American regulations to require the installation of ballast water treatment equipment on Canadian domestic vessels beginning in 2014 will cost the Canadian economy  1.1 billion dollars over the next five years. Further complicating this situation is the reality that ship owners cannot comply with the regulations at this time, as the appropriate technology does not exist. The United States Coast Guard…

American Steamship Company (ASC), a subsidiary of GATX Corporation, and Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium are working collaboratively in pursuit of their common goal of protecting the Great Lakes, and now they’re taking that message to communities along the shores. One of ASC’s 1,000-foot vessels, the MV Indiana Harbor, is displaying each organization’s logo along with the slogan “Working Together to Keep the Lakes Great.” The vessel travels throughout the Great Lakes region including ports in western Lake Superior, southern Lake Michigan, Detroit and Cleveland.

Members of the American Great Lakes Ports Association (AGLPA) elected new leadership at their annual summer meeting held this year in Oswego, New York. The new president is William Friedman, President & CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. Dean Haen, director of the Brown County Port & Solid Waste Department in Green Bay, will serve as vice president. The secretary-treasurer position will be held by Paul LaMarre, port director at the Port of Monroe (Michigan). The term of office is two years. Friedman became president and CEO of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in June 2010. He has more than 25 years of experience in port management, real estate development, international supply chain and multimodal distribution.

The members of the Canadian Shipowners Association (CSA) have partnered with Great Ships Initiative (GSI), a project of the Northeast-Midwest Institute, a regional nonprofit research center headquartered in Washington, DC. Efficacy tests of ballast water filtration systems in the unique, cold, fresh waters of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Waterway (GLSLW) will take place this summer at the GSI ballast treatment testing facility in Superior, Wisconsin. To date no technology has been type-approved for operation in the GLSLW waters, where Canadian vessels operate. Canadian shipowners are looking proactively to find practical solutions to ballast water management.

Adolph Ojard, Executive Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, plans to retire this year after serving in that leadership role for the past decade. A national search is underway for a new Executive Director. The board anticipates having that person hired by the end of summer/early fall. After a brief transitional time, Ojard will then settle into retirement. Ojard was appointed executive director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority in March 2003. A Great Lakes maritime and transportation veteran, he now serves as the Port Authority's chief executive officer.

Retlif Testing Laboratories is part of a partnership to evaluate and test technologies designed to treat ballast water on board ships against non-native aquatic species in American coastal waters, lakes and rivers. The U.S. Coast Guard developed regulations to limit the release of live organisms and to reduce the risks associated with the spread of aquatic invasive species. Ballast water management system manufacturers (BWMS) will apply to NSF International and the U.S. Coast Guard for testing, review and evaluations.

NSF International gains United States Coast Guard acceptance as Independent laboratory for ballast water management system testing. NSF International (NSF), an independent public health organization, has become the first Independent Laboratory (IL) accepted by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) to evaluate and test technologies designed to treat ballast water on ships in order to prevent the spread of non-native aquatic species in lakes, rivers and coastal waters. NSF is leading a partnership between Retlif Testing Laboratories (Retlif), the Great Ships Initiative (GSI) and the Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC) to test and evaluate systems to the Coast Guard requirements.

Ballast water treatment system testing facility earns U.S. Coast Guard approval. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC) has partnered with NSF International, Great Ships Initiative and Retlif Testing Laboratories to become the first U.S. Coast Guard-approved Independent Laboratory for evaluation and testing of technologies designed for treatment of ballast water on ships. Ballast water carries non-native species from around the world can pose economic, ecological and public health risks. U.S.

Members of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway shipping industry have launched a new, one-stop website resource at www.marinedelivers.com to highlight the economic, environmental and safety benefits of the bi-national navigation system. The redesigned site, which is aimed at both U.S. and Canadian audiences, will serve as a platform for industry news and announcements, economic statistics, safety information and environmental success stories. • Latest News, features, press releases, and photos and B-roll that can be used by the media. Follow us by signing up for our RSS feed.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced that it is providing $4m to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species found in cargo ships plying the Great Lakes and America’s inland waterways. “This funding demonstrates the Obama Administration’s commitment to protecting the Great Lakes while supporting economic revitalization of the entire region,” said Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. The funding is part of the Administration’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the largest federal investment in the Great Lakes in 20 years. The initiative’s priorities for action—developed by a task force of 16 federal departments —are combating invasive species, cleaning up toxics, protecting wetlands from pollution, and restoring wetland and habitats.

Ports of Indiana officials will join industry and government leaders in Duluth on Wednesday to announce the launch of the Great Ships Initiative, a $3.5m research center that is the first in the Great Lakes region designed to specifically focus on developing the technology necessary to prevent the introduction of aquatic nuisance species into the Great Lakes by ocean-going ships. Leaders of over a dozen major U.S. and Canadian Great Lakes ports will be joined by scientists and federal agency officials at a ceremony in Duluth/Superior harbor to announce the project. Research efforts will be based within the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The project will be co-managed by the Northeast-Midwest Institute, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, both of Washington, D.C.

The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has awarded a $350,000 contract to the Northwest-Midwest Institute’s Great Ships Initiative to develop appropriate protocols for ballast water discharge sampling. Ballast water has been a major factor in the spread of invasive species. Proper and standardized ballast discharge sampling protocols are fundamental to verifying that ballast water treatment technology is effective aboard a working ship, as well as in the laboratory. The new contract is for targeted, empirical, engineering and biological research to design and validate a ballast sampling method that is reliable, replicable, and cost-effective for both the ship owner and the regulatory community.