Intercomparison of U.S. Ballast Water Test Facilities
Abstract
The spread of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) via ships' ballast water has been studied for decades, and as the number of economically and environmentally destructive biological invasions rose, it became clear that national and international policies governing ballast water discharges were needed. The International Maritime Organization's International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments, adopted in 2004 but not yet entered into force, set a discharge standard to reduce the transport and delivery of potential ANS. Concurrently in the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard developed and finalized a discharge standard for living organisms in three size classes: > or = to 50 microns; > or = to 10 microns and < 50 microns; and < 10 microns. As vendors develop ballast water management systems (BWMSs) to meet the standards, they must be evaluated to determine their efficacy. The goals of this "Intercomparison Project" were to determine (1) to what degree two independent, domestic ballast water test facilities could comparably evaluate the performance of the same BWMS and (2) to identify and quantify the variability between the facilities. The goals were successfully met. The project, the BWMS testing, the resulting data, and recommendations to reduce variability among test facilities are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA578781
Entities
People
- Edward J. Lemieux
- Evan W. Parson
- Jonathan F. Grant
- Lisa A. Drake
- Timothy P. Wier
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory