Successful Ballast Water Treatment in Coos Bay
/Oregon is making big strides to manage ballast water procedures to limit displacement of known aquatic invasive species. Recently, Glosten and Global Diving & Salvage reported the successful treatment of ballast water with a mobile system called the “Ballast Responder” on board a 350-foot vessel in Coos Bay, Oregon. They successfully treated approximately 4,000 gallons of ballast water on a ship in two days. The treatment came from a mobile water mixing system that was engineered by the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service. There were several trial runs to collect data and see the tool’s efficacy, while also creating a practical treatment protocol. The next step will be to test out the system on the Great Lakes this month and then build additional kits in major shipping locations worldwide and in the United States.
The original article was published on June 12, 2018 by Marine Log.
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What is ballast water?
Ballast water is taken in by vessels and is used to provide stability during transport.
What is the issue with ballast water discharge?
When vessels discharge ballast water, it can result in the movement of organisms to geographic locations where they are not native. These species can then become invasive and outcompete native organisms for resources, where they become a threat to biodiversity and ecological systems, as well as human health and the regional economy.