ICTSI Foundation partners with DSRF for ballast water treatment project

The ICTSI Foundation has partnered with the Diliman Science Research Foundation (DSRF) for the Ballast Water Treatment System Prototype Design and Implementation Project.

The project aims to develop a working prototype of a miniature ballast water treatment device to treat salt water pumped in and out of large cargo vessels to maintain balance and stability while sailing.  The treatment of ballast water, especially from ships originating from other countries, prevents invasive and harmful marine species from being transported between ports that threaten the local marine ecosystem.

Marine engineers from the Mariners’ Polytechnic Colleges Foundation of Canaman in Camarines Sur will design the prototype, which, upon completion, can easily be carried on and off large cargo vessels to decontaminate ballast water prior to release into the sea. The prototype will be tested at the Manila International Container Terminal by mid-2021.  

Looking at the long-term application, the device can be replicated and up-scaled to help the Philippine Government comply with the International Maritime Organization regulations based on the Ballast Water Management Convention of 2004, which mandates all signatory countries to establish their ballast water treatment systems by 2028.

MOA signing between the ICTSI Foundation and the DSRF: (from left) Joy Lapuz, ICTSI Foundation Program Operations Manager; Dr. Benjamin Vallejo, DSRF Project Lead; and Francis J Bartolome, ICTSI Foundation Support Services Manager