Aquatic Invasive Species News

Next year marks a crucial milestone for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, with all ships required to meet the D2 standard for ballast water management by 8 September 2024. D2 specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged. In most cases, it requires the installation of a ballast water management system (BWMS) on board the vessel.2024 will be a pivotal moment for the ballast water market and while it is true that the retrofit market will diminish and leave behind only a small newbuild market…

Green Marine, North America’s environmental certification program for the maritime industry, is celebrating 15 years of sustainability improvements with the release of its 2022 Performance Report.The program includes 52 ports, 49 shipowners (620 vessels), 17 shipyards, & 71 terminals operators (209 sites) in North America, and the report displays all the individual results of the participants in addition to the overall average and an analysis of the environmental performance for the year concerned.

Dutch shipbuilding group Damen has signed its first contact with ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) manufacturer ERMA FIRST. The Greek manufacturer ERMA FIRST will supply its oneTANK, which is the world’s smallest BWTS, using chemical injection methods to clean ships’ ballast water.Damen Green Solutions has a broad selection of BWTS in its range, offering shipowners various capacities and techniques in treating their ballast water. With the addition of the ERMA FIRST oneTANK, Damen can provide clients with a solution that is not only small, but also modular.

Propspeed launched a new kit packaged specifically for the commercial marine trade professional. Rusty Morgan, VP of Sales & Operations, Americas, discusses with Maritime Reporter TV.New Zealand-based Propspeed, a maker of underwater foul-release coatings for 21 years, recently signaled its intention to enter full-force into the commercial maritime space with the launch of its first coatings kit packaged specifically for the commercial marine trade professional. The Propspeed Commercial Kit includes all that is needed to coat two propellers 165-203cm in size…

If you and your crew are facing questions about ballast water management (BWM) and related regulatory deadlines, it would be worth your while to download a new (January 2021) “Ballast Water Management Systems User Guide,” an extensive, in-depth look at evaluating, selecting and installing a BWM system. The guide was published by MARAD and Glosten for the Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP). It is geared primarily toward U.S.-flag operators in domestic and international trade.As most mariners know, BWM, overseen federally by U.S. EPA and the Coast Guard, includes a number of activities.

Marine shipping drives 90% of global trade, moving over 11 billion tonnes of containers, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s seas annually. Almost all consumer products we buy — or the raw materials required to make them — arrive at Canadian ports via ship.Each year, Canadian port facilities handle about 340 million tonnes of goods, worth about $400 billion. Roughly 25% of Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping.Despite their economic importance…

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) has deployed underwater robots to help clean the hull of its vessels."We plans to replace human laborers in a risky environment with underwater robots when it comes to hull cleaning work on its vessels. Underwater robots help to prevent industrial accidents and cut environmental pollution," HMM said in a statement.HMM has signed a cooperation agreement with TAS GLOBAL CO., LTD., a domestic manufacturer specializing in underwater robots.Hull fouling has long been a problem for shipowners, conspiring to reduce speeds and increase fuel consumption, and emissions.In step, shipping companies have made an effort…

Retlif Testing Laboratories, a global strategic compliance organization, is celebrating its 40th year of operations which will be marked with recognition events throughout 2018.In conjunction with its milestone anniversary, Retlif President Walter Poggi announced expanded ballast wastewater testing to reduce risks associated with the spread of aquatic invasive species in U.S. coastal waters, lakes and rivers, as well as expanded nuclear RS-105 EMP testing services. Poggi also…

Solutions to address human-induced “Ocean Change” are needed to save life in the ocean and reverse the cycle of decline in which it is caught, according to Fiji's Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the Ocean. Peter Thomson, who was visiting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, said that as a Fijian, he had personally witnessed the degradation of the marine environment in his lifetime, citing marine litter and coral bleaching as just two examples. “As a grandfather I find these changes tragic. It is time for us to implement the solutions to ocean's many problems,” he said. Special Envoy Thomson told a briefing of IMO senior staff that the UN Ocean Conference…

Ecochlor's patented BWTS has received USCG Type Approval. The Ecochlor BWTS uses a two-step process that includes filtration and treatment with chlorine dioxide (ClO2). It is completely effective on all aquatic invasive species regardless of water turbidity, salinity or temperature. “The Ecochlor BWTS works just as effectively as it did when first installed in a ship in 2004 without any fundamental changes," said Tom Perlich, President and Founder. "Since that first system was sold…

Global Environment Facility (GEF) approves new project concept to address major aquatic invasive species vector. A new global project to help protect marine ecosystems from the negative effects of invasive aquatic species has been given the go-ahead for preparation. The GloFouling Partnerships project – a collaboration between the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – will address the transfer of aquatic species through biofouling, in other words, the build-up of aquatic organisms on a ship’s underwater hull and structures. The project will focus on the implementation of the IMO Guidelines for the control and management of ships’ biofouling…

A coalition of maritime business and industry organizations sent a letter to key Members of Congress on Friday, March 24 urging funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to further support efforts undertaken by the State of Illinois to slow, stop and reverse the migration of Asian carp, an aquatic invasive species, through cost-effective measures. In the letter, the UnLock Our Jobs (UOJ) coalition members review the record of success that the GLRI has had in working with the State of Illinois to develop a range of strategies to control Asian carp…

The U.S. Coast Guard issued the first U.S. type-approval certificate for a ballast water management system Friday. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Center issued the certificate to Optimarin after its application for U.S. type approval was reviewed and determined to meet the requirements of the Coast Guard’s type approval requirements contained in 46 C.F.R. § 162.060. While this certification provides vessel owners and operators with a type-approved system to meet the ballast water discharge standard, there are other ways that vessels can comply with U.S. ballast water management regulations. * Use of ballast water obtained exclusively from a U.S.

i-Tech's CEO Philip Chaabane is intent on keeping hulls clean, one barnacle at a time. Please provide a brief personal/professional background, with insight on how you’ve come to occupy the CEO seat at I-Tech. I have a Swedish and French MSc in Engineering and have spent some six years in the aerospace industry working for Volvo Aero (today GKN) with jet engine components within product development as well as production and supply chain in general. Robust long term business plans…

Trojan Marinex has been named the winner of the 2016 Outstanding Private Sector Achievement award from the Reduce Risks from Invasive Species Coalition (RRISC). The award goes to a private sector company that has introduced a product or service that has the potential to make a significant contribution to reducing the environmental and economic risks posed by invasive species. The award – recognizing Trojan’s environmental stewardship and ballast water treatment technology – was presented on June 15, 2016 at the annual RRISC Congressional Reception in Washington, D.C.

A little-known annual American commemoration is coming up again on May 22 - National Maritime Day. It was declared by Congress in 1933 to call attention to America’s proud maritime heritage and to honor the men and women who serve and have served as U.S. merchant mariners. It’s also a day to recognize and reflect on the rewards that America’s ports bring the country in terms of jobs, economic development, goods movement and international competitiveness. For the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA)—the unified and recognized voice of seaports in the Americas—National Maritime Day offers the nation’s ports a great opportunity to showcase the value of their facilities, operations and personnel to their respective communities.

Host of U.S. A little-known annual American commemoration is coming up again on May 22: National Maritime Day, declared by Congress in 1933 to call attention to America’s maritime heritage and to honor the men and women who serve and have served as U.S. merchant mariners. It’s also a day to recognize and reflect on the rewards that America’s ports bring the country in terms of jobs, economic development, goods movement and international competitiveness. For the American Association…

The Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) released its 2015 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Management activities Thursday. During 2015, 100 percent of vessels bound for the Great Lakes Seaway from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone received a ballast water management exam. In total, the BWWG assessed all 8,361 ballast tanks on the 455 vessels that transited during the 2015 navigation season. The Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Working Group is a binational collection of representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, Transport Canada - Marine Safety & Security and the Canadian St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation.

When it comes to marine sewage, it pays to measure. It turns out that the physical size of the equipment itself is not your only worry. Marine Sanitation Devices: (perhaps) the three dirtiest words in the nautical lexicon. Nevertheless, Marine Sanitary Devices – or MSD’s, as they are affectionately known – are pre-engineered, pre-packaged blackwater/greywater treatment systems. We don’t like to talk about it, we know that waste streams are treated and – we hope – that they are also in compliance. Installed on all manners of vessels, nowhere are these devices (arguably) as important as the ones that provide service on the myriad of inland and brown water workboats.

The entry into force of new regulations to strengthen the prevention of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Canadian waters was announced today by Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea. The Government of Canada, which spends more than $14 million on AIS issues annually, worked with provincial and territorial governments to develop the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations. The regulations provide tools for both the Department and provinces to prevent the introduction and spread of AIS…

Fednav Limited, a Canadian operator of international ships in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system, announced an order for 12 ballast water treatment systems to equip its ships currently under construction. According to the shipper, this makes Fednav the first shipping company in Canada and the Great Lakes to announce the installation of ballast water treatment systems, well before the regulatory requirement. "Our company is committed to stimulating trade and enhancing Canada's economy while protecting the Great Lakes against the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species…

Debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami will continue to litter the North American coastline over the next three years, with everything from refrigerators to lumber and sports balls still floating offshore in the Pacific, an expert said on Tuesday. About one million tons of debris was still lingering in the Pacific Ocean four years after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, set off a series of massive tsunami waves that devastated a wide swathe of Honshu's Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people. It also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier.

The 2014 Summary of Great Lakes Seaway Ballast Water Management activities was released by the Great Lakes Ballast Water Working Group (BWWG) Thursday. The BWWG aims to harmonize ballast water management efforts between the U.S. Coast Guard, Transport Canada – Marine Safety and Security, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation. According to the report, 100 percent of ships bound for the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway from outside the Exclusive Economic Zone received a ballast tank exam in 2014.