Ballast Water Processing News

The BallastMaster ultraV developed by GEA Westfalia Separator for ballast water treatment has been awarded the "Alternate Management System" (AMS) certificate. The approval was awarded by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on November 11, 2013. AMS is considered the standard for selection of suppliers for ballast water processing installations. The certificate is considered by the USCG to be a transitional measure until the type approval process has been formally implemented in American legislation. It follows the 2011 type approval of this unit in accordance with IMO.

The BallastMaster ultraV developed by GEA Westfalia Separator Group for treating ballast water has been awarded the "Alternate Management System" (AMS) certificate. The approval was awarded by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on November 11, 2013 and is considered to be the standard for the international recognition and selection of suppliers of ballast water processing installations. The AMS certificate is considered by the USCG to be a transitional measure until the type approval process has been formally implemented in American legislation.

The World Ports and Trade Summit (WPTS) 2012, which recently concluded in Abu Dhabi, has asserted the strategic importance of the Emirate in marine transport, and the need to tackle accelerated growth requirements of the industry while mindful of mounting concerns about sustainability. The participants at the Summit were in consensus about achieving a strategic vision for the long-term development of the industry, being clearly aware of the effects of climate change and energy requirements. Participants said the current situation is a dilemma of growth confronting the shipping and port industry, nevertheless  aspirations for 2040 make it imperative for the industry to start acting today, especially considering the massive ecological impact of its activities.

The GEF/UNDP/IMO GloBallast Program, a project, executed by IMO which is aimed at preventing the spread of unwanted alien organisms in ballast water, has won the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Queen's Golden Jubilee Marine Environment Award. The final “heat” was held on the evening of 1 October, when the finalists made a presentation to the judging panel and a general audience at IMarEST’s London headquarters. The problem of invasive species is largely due to the expanded trade and traffic volume over the last few decades. The effects in many areas of the world have been devastating. Quantitative data show the rate of bio-invasions is continuing to increase at an alarming rate, in many cases exponentially, and new areas are being invaded all the time.

Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) received national recognition for its assistance in the development of a ballast-water processing system designed to reduce the introduction of invasive foreign plankton transported by cargo ships. The project with Old Dominion University and Browning Transport Management was selected as "outstanding" in the technology assistance category of the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers (NAMTAC) Project of the Year Awards competition. The award was presented last night at the NAMTAC 2002 Fall Awards Banquet in Asheville, NC, to Robert Harrell, CIT's vice president of regional operations. The award is CIT's 16th NAMTAC award in the past 10 years.