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Albion Marine Solutions has undertaken a research and development project to evaluate the efficacy of existing type-approved BWMS filtration technology within the North American Great Lakes water. The already in-use, type-approved Ballast Water Treatment System performs very well in normal sea conditions. The Two main types of Ballast Water Treatment Systems – EC and UV, are facing challenges while operated in Great Lakes caused by low salinity, low temperature, and high turbidity. Albion Marine Solutions will test a type-approved BWMS filter to check whether the Great Lakes ballast water meets current discharge standards.

Under this R&D project, Albion Marine Solutions is collaborating with the partner maker of the Ballast Water Treatment System to supply the filter to the testing location in Great Lakes. The filter which is being tested is both environmentally safe and optimally designed to be used on all vessels. The Great Water Research Collaborative team (GWRC) will test the filter at the Montreal Pier Facility, Superior, WI., from 2023 to 2024 with continuous support from Albion Marine Solutions. The filter will be tested during the spring and summer of 2023, including cold-water ice particle testing in the winter of 2023.

The one-year project will help fill the data gaps associated with filter performance under Great Lakes water quality and biology conditions by measuring the performance of ballast water filters when challenged with cold waters, ice, filamentous protists, and high concentrations of total suspended solids. To conclude, the R& D project will determine the capabilities of approved BWMS to see whether the current filtering technologies can endure the natural environmental conditions of the Great Lakes. Albion Marine Solutions is a global leader, and Canada’s only ABS & Lloyd’s approved service supplier for biological testing of Ballast Water Treatment Systems has completed a significant number of projects worldwide for IMO-D2 Commissioning and the 2013 EPA VGP Discharge Standards. For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.