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commit a trained technical representative to install and operate, maintain, and repair the treatment
system throughout the test or train an operator to perform these tasks and sign a consent form
indicating training occurred;
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inspect the installation and operation of the system prior to the initiation of the testing;
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review their respective draft test reports.
A.5.
Background
A.5.1.
Problem Definition
Invasions by non-native aquatic species are increasingly common worldwide, often causing ecological
and economic damage, and it is widely accepted that ballast water is one of the most important vectors for
transporting and introducing non-native species to new biogeographic regions. Consequently, the
International Maritime Organization (IMO), through the 2004 International Convention for the Control
and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediment, and more recently the proposed US Coast Guard
(USCG) and Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Vessel General Permit (VGP) have all put
forward similar ballast water discharge standards that limit concentrations of living organisms in different
size or taxonomic categories that can be released with ballast water. Current proposed ballast water
discharge standards include:
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Less than 10 viable organisms per one m
3
greater than or equal to 50 µm in minimum dimension
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Less than 10 viable organisms per ml less than 50 µm in minimum dimension and greater than or
equal to 10 µm in minimum dimension
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Less than the following concentrations of indicator microbes, as a human health standard: a)
Toxicogenic
Vibrio cholerae
(serotypes O1 and O139) with less than 1 colony forming unit (cfu) per
100 ml; b)
Escherichia coli
less than 250 cfu per 100 ml; and c) intestinal
Enterococci
less than 100
cfu per 100 ml.
To address the IMO and US discharge standards, technology developers and manufacturers around the
world have designed and built a variety of onboard ballast water treatment systems (BWTSs) to achieve
the prescribed discharge limits. A BWTS is a “Prefabricated, commercial-ready, treatment systems
designed to remove, kill or inactivate (prior to discharge) organisms in ballast water. This includes all
components, in an integrated fashion, required for shipboard operation.” (EPA, 2010).
Prior to any approval or certification of a BWTS, all systems must go through extensive phased
development and testing from the laboratory to full-scale shipboard verification. This phased approach
not only addresses engineering challenges of scaling up, but also develops a comprehensive
understanding of the system’s mode of action (i.e., how the treatment kills or removed organisms) and the
dose-response of various organisms to a range of treatment conditions. This knowledge and testing can be
used to help identify indirect measures of system efficacy and compliance. Three documents have been
produce to provide guidance and standardization of BWTS testing:
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International Maritime Organization (2005) Resolution MEPC.125(53) Guidelines for Approval of
Ballast Water Management Systems (G8);
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International Maritime Organization (2008) Resolution MEPC.125(57) Revised Procedure for
Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems that Make Use of Active Substances (G9); and
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ETV Generic Protocols for the Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technologies, (2010)
EPA/600/R-10/146 (EPA).
Administrations and Classification Societies utilize the results for these series of land-based and
shipboard BWTS tests, combined with other relevant information, for a final decision on Type Approval
Certification of individual BWTS.