The world’s first fresh water test facility focusing on ballast water treatment technology was opened in July in Superior.

The facility is a critical component of the Great Ships Initiative, a cooperative effort between the Great Lakes maritime industry, federal agencies and other regional stakeholders to stop the ship-mediated introduction of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes.

The role of the Great Ships Initiative is to accelerate the development of commercially viable and environmentally protective ballast water treatment systems by providing a variety of assistance to the companies and institutions doing research and development in this area.

While certain aspects of the project are “virtual,” in that scientific expertise is being tapped no matter its location, the project’s lab space and testing center are in the Duluth-Superior harbor and are being jointly managed by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota.

Overall project management is being provided by the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, both of Washington, D.C. A 20-member executive committee provides project oversight. Adolph Ojard, Duluth port director, noted, “Aquatic invasive species are unwelcome hitchhikers; they are an unintended consequence of international maritime commerce. The sooner we develop technology to keep these organisms off ships, the sooner this problem will be solved.”

The Great Ships Initiative received startup funding of $500,000 through the efforts of Congressman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) in federal fiscal year 2005. Congressman Obey secured an equal amount in fiscal year 2006. Since that time, additional funds or in-kind contributions have been provided by the following project partners:

The U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Maritime Administration

The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute

The City of Superior

The Duluth Seaway Port Authority

The Port of Milwaukee

The Illinois International Port District

The Ports of Indiana

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority

The Cleveland- Cuyahoga County Port Authority

The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority

The Port of Toronto, Ontario

The Port of Hamilton, Ontario

Additionally, the project has received endorsements from Wisconsin Gov. James Doyle; the Great Lakes Cities Initiative; Great Lakes United, a regional conservation organization; and Fednav Limited, the largest operator of ocean shipping on the Great Lakes.