New ballast water test group

The GloBal TestNet group aims to facilitate increased standardisation of ballast water test procedures and information exchange.

It should benefit test facility clients as well as the end-users of ballast water treatment technologies – the ship owners who need to meet the requirements of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) 2004.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the GloBal TestNet was signed on 21 October 2013 by representatives of 16 ballast water treatment system testing organisations, during a pre-conference event held as part of the 5th Global Ballast Water Management R&D Forum and Exhibition, being held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 23 to 25 October 2013.

The signing of the GloBal TestNet MoU follows four years of discussion among testing organisations, which have met several times under the auspices of the Global Industry Alliance (GIA), established within the framework of the GloBallast Partnerships Programme.

It is expected that other testing organisations may join the GloBal TestNet in the future. Joining is open to any organisation involved in the generation of data from land-based and/or shipboard testing for the certification of ballast water management systems, under the 2004 BWM Convention and relevant Guidelines or other test protocols.