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MERC+GSI – DRAFT Test Plan
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specific regulations (e.g., IMO D2, G8 and G9) so that can be used to determine regulatory
compliance by appropriate agencies of certification societies. Final reports on technology
performance will be reviewed by the MERC and GSI Advisory Board/Committee and provided
to Siemens and the MERC/GSI funding agencies prior to public release. All specific terms of a
testing program associated with a particular treatment system, including management of test
findings, are outlined in a Participation Agreement executed between the treatment developer
and MERC and the Northeast Midwest Institute, the GSI managing entity.
2. Treatment to be Evaluated
Siemens Water Technologies has developed the SiCURE
TM
Ballast Water Management
Systems (BWMS) based on the maritime industry proven Chloropac® Electrochlorination
system for ship’s cooling water piping. This system was first developed in the early 1970s and
has been in operation onboard over 2,000 vessels.
SiCURE has several unique features designed to provide effective treatment of ballast
water while minimizing risk to the environment, the ship, and its crew. SiCURE is based on
electrolysis of seawater and use of hypochlorite as an Active Substance at a viable, “meet the
demand” dose. The system injects only as much Active Substance into ballast water as required
to achieve the necessary level of disinfection. This approach is aimed at eliminating over
chlorination and associated risks of corrosion and generation of disinfection by-products.
3. Overview of Test Facilities
Basic Approach:
The specific protocols described below are based on the IMO G8 guidelines and the US
Coast Guard supported ETV protocols under development. The fundamental approach of MERC
and GSI is to conduct independent, scientifically-sound, rigorous, and quality assured
evaluations of ballast water treatment systems. Therefore, MERC and GSI rely on challenging
ambient conditions found in the Chesapeake Bay and
Duluth-Superior Harbor
, and do not
artificially augment test waters in most evaluations, to avoid artifacts and the potential to
overestimation of system performance (see Table 1). For example, rapid changes in physical
conditions (such as salinity or total suspended solids) as ambient organisms are being brought in
with ballast water may cause significant mortality, independent of treatment. Similarly,
concentrating natural assemblages of plankton on nets, and introducing
them into ballast water
being pumped into tanks, can often result in significant handling associated mortality. Given the
unpredictable physical and biological conditions found in all natural waters, IMO G8 MEPC
58/23 ANNEX 4, Part 2, Section 2.3.36 is used by MERC and GSI as the standard for a valid test
trial: “If in any test cycle the average discharge results from the control water is a concentration
less than or equal to 10 times the values in regulation D-2.1, the test cycle is
invalid”. While a
goal of MERC and GSI is provide independent G8/ETV data on the performance of ballast water
treatment systems, it is ultimately up to an Administration to decide if the system meets their
requirements for Type Approval Certification.