Feasibility studies in relation to the IMO Ballast Water Convention

This project is aimed to develop possibilities to overcome the difficulties which arise from the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention (IMO 2004). For this purpose, three feasibility studies have been conducted: assessment of the applicability of small scale test systems; development of protocols for testing active substance residues; risk assessment of ballast water discharge

Testing the BIO-SEA ballast water management system; Filter efficiency tests with high levels of zooplankton

The BIO-SEA® Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) was tested at the IMARES land-based test facility. General goal of the tests was to compare two different brands of filter and to test the filter efficiency of finer mesh sizes of each brand. The filters were tested in combination with a ‘one-shot UVtreatment’ (ballasting and deballasting the same day) in order to evaluate the effect of the filters on the overall treatment efficacy

Operational efficiency of ballast water biocides at low water temperatures

In the period 2013-2015 the effect of two biocides used for the treatment of ballast water has been evaluated at low ambient temperatures. Peraclean® Ocean and sodium hypochlorite were used as biocides. Most of the tests were conducted during winter and early spring at the laboratories of IMARES in Den Helder, using outdoor cultures from which phytoplankton and zooplankton (as communities) were collected for the tests. In summer 2013, tests were also conducted at Svalbard in the Arctic using natural zooplankton. Here only Peraclean® Ocean was tested

The effect of low temperatures on the toxicity of PERACLEAN Ocean

Ballast water treatment systems are routinely tested for efficacy and residual toxicity at spring and summer temperatures in temperate areas, as that is the period when biological production is sufficiently high to match IMO testing requirements (guideline G8). Shipping, however, continues throughout the year and, as polar ice rapidly disappears, also shipping into the Arctic rapidly increases. This makes assessment of the performance of ballast water treatment technology at low temperatures urgent, especially when biocides are used. In order to assess the influence of temperature on the efficacy (toxicity) of PERACLEAN® Ocean (PO), IMARES has tested the toxicity of (PO) to various organisms at standard test temperatures and at low temperatures