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The Effectiveness of Filtration at Minimizing the Uptake and Transfer of Viable Organisms in the Ballast Water of a Commercial Vessel

Year Awarded: 1996
Awarded: $1,316,000
Team Leader:  Northeast-Midwest Institute
Tel: 202-464-4014
Email: acangelo@nemw.org

This project delivered the first installation and assessment of a ballast water filtration system on an operating commercial bulk cargo vessel (M/V Algonorth) in the Great Lakes. It allowed for the first comparative evaluation of flow-through secondary ballast-water treatment systems using a stationary barge-based experimental platform. Tested treatment systems to prevent ballast-mediated transfers of nonindiginous species underwent substantial redesign in response to initial results. The project team also developed and refined a set of evaluation criteria that are now the ‘the standards to beat’ for ballast water treatment systems in the Great Lakes.