The S/R American Progress, a 575-ft, 30,000-gross-ton, double-hull U.S. flag tank ship, operated by SeaRiver Maritime, Inc., has been accepted into the United States Coast Guard’s Shipboard Technology Evaluation Program (STEP) to demonstrate the use of and collect data on the effectiveness of the Severn Trent De Nora BALPURE® ballast water treatment system. In its acceptance letter, the Coast Guard stated the ship “has an accepted means of compliance with Ballast Water Management regulations found in U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, title 33, part 151.2035.”
The United States Coast Guard established the STEP program in 2004 to promote the development of alternatives to ballast water exchange as a means of preventing invasive species from entering U.S. waters through ships’ ballast water. STEP participation is available to all international and U.S. domestic vessels subject to the Coast Guard’s Ballast Water Management regulations, 33 CFR, part 151, subparts C and D.
Balpure is a patented system that generates biocides, meters and analyzes the residual level of both biocides and neutralizing agents and logs the performance of the overall ballast water treatment system. With international, national, state and local environmental agencies worldwide taking action to regulate the discharge of ballast water arriving in ships coming from international ports, the BALPURE system is being proven as an effective, economical and high-capacity device to treat this water, with no adverse effects on the environment. Third party testing of the BALPURE system has confirmed effluent quality that meets proposed International Maritime Organization (IMO) ballast water standards.
The Balpure system has achieved a number of certification milestones, including certification from the American Bureau of Shipping and classification as EX-proof in 2007. In addition, Severn Trent De Nora received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2006 for United States third party validation and recognition.
(www.severntrentdenora.com)
