BIO-UV Group, a manufacturer of ballast water treatment solutions, has reacted to the US government's approval of the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) and the possible acceptance of the Most Probable Number (MPN) methodology, the method used by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to test the efficiency of ballast water management systems (BWMS).
While the US Coast Guard (USCG) has to now draft policy detailing reproductive methods, BIO-UV Group's CEO Benoit Gillmann noted that it is important to remember that the process of acceptance of a viability method is not immediate, and that there is no guarantee that methodologies coming out of this process will be the same as the MPN currently used.
'The method in force today in the US is the CMFDA process. But whatever the possible modification and/or relaxation of the US rules, the UV dose must remain significant to treat all water types and a system like BIO-SEA is, and will continue to be, a safe choice for shipowners while staying very competitive,' said Mr Gillmann.
Essentially, VIDA sets a clear, unambiguous definition of what constitutes a 'live' and 'living' ballast water organism. It defines as living any organisms capable of reproduction. If they cannot, then they are classed as 'dead.'
The US Environmental Protection Agency will have to put the standard in writing and incorporate the USCG's final version. Irrespective of the legislation, shipowners will need to very carefully evaluate system performance and limitations against their vessels' operational scope, the company pointed out in a release.
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While the US Coast Guard (USCG) has to now draft policy detailing reproductive methods, BIO-UV Group's CEO Benoit Gillmann noted that it is important to remember that the process of acceptance of a viability method is not immediate, and that there is no guarantee that methodologies coming out of this process will be the same as the MPN currently used.
'The method in force today in the US is the CMFDA process. But whatever the possible modification and/or relaxation of the US rules, the UV dose must remain significant to treat all water types and a system like BIO-SEA is, and will continue to be, a safe choice for shipowners while staying very competitive,' said Mr Gillmann.
Essentially, VIDA sets a clear, unambiguous definition of what constitutes a 'live' and 'living' ballast water organism. It defines as living any organisms capable of reproduction. If they cannot, then they are classed as 'dead.'
The US Environmental Protection Agency will have to put the standard in writing and incorporate the USCG's final version. Irrespective of the legislation, shipowners will need to very carefully evaluate system performance and limitations against their vessels' operational scope, the company pointed out in a release.
WORLD SHIPPING