Sat Nov 09 03:12:34 UTC 2024: ## India Unveils New Ballast Water Treatment Test Facility in Tirupati
**TIRUPATI, INDIA – November 9, 2024** – The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has launched a new Ballast Water Treatment Technologies – Test Facility (BWTT-TF) at its seafront site in Tirupati district. The facility, inaugurated by M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, is dedicated to mitigating the threat of invasive species transported via ballast water to India’s vast coastline.
“The 7,516 km coastline of India is strategically important for international shipping, but also vulnerable to the effects of invasive species,” explained Mr. Ravichandran. “Realizing the dangers, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has established guidelines to prevent the transfer of unwanted species through ballast water. This new test facility will validate ballast water treatment equipment for certification by the Ministry of Shipping and IMO.”
In a separate development, Mr. Ravichandran also laid the foundation stone for the proposed Centre for Marine Microbial Repository at the NIOT campus in Chittedu village. This unique facility, part of the Deep Ocean Mission Vertical-3, will be the first of its kind in India for long-term storage of deep-sea microbes.
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