Retlif To Help Test Ballast Water Technology

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.  Retlif Environmental Laboratory Supervisor Scott Poggi commented that the 34-year old testing laboratory “is part of a collaborating relationship between NSF International, an independent public health organization, the Great Ships Initiative (GSI), and the Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC) to test and evaluate systems to the Coast Guard requirements.”

Ballast water management system manufacturers (BWMS) will apply to NSF International and the U.S. Coast Guard for testing, review and evaluations. NSF International will coordinate testing between Retlif, the GSI and the MERC. Retlif will complete testing of the electrical and electronic components, including each alarm, control and monitoring device of the BWMS (Ballast Water Testing Requirements).

Retlif has long provided environmental simulation testing and engineering services to military and commercial test standards, and is internationally known as a leading electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing laboratory