Large container cargo ship transporting containers across a calm sea
Marine · Segment 02

Ballast water, add coral to the BWMS Code panel

For ballast-water treatment-system (BWTS) vendors and shipping operators preparing for IMO BWMS Code D-2 type approval, US VIDA implementing regulations, or reef-adjacent operations. We add coral as a complementary species to the marine ecotox panel you already run on treated discharge.

Why now

USCG implementing regulations due October 2026.

IMO BWMS Code (in force)

D-2 performance testing required for type approval. Land-based and shipboard testing across the standard ecotox panel.

US VIDA (Vessel Incidental Discharge Act)

USCG must issue implementing regulations by October 2026, supersedes VGP for US ballast-water discharge.

Aerial view of waves breaking over shallow coastal water
Open coastal waters, the receiving environment every ballast-water discharge is ultimately judged against. Illustrative photography.

What we test, how

Coral fragments mounted on the blue testing grid
Coral fragments mounted on the standard test panel used for BWTS discharge exposure trials.

Acute on treated discharge

96-hour contact on BWTS effluent. Across the species panel (up to 50 species / 30 genera).

Endpoints: EC50, LOEC, NOEC.

Chronic on treated discharge

3 months exposure + 1 month recovery. Reporting tuned to type-approval and discharge-permit dossiers.

Endpoints: EC10, EC50, chronic PNEC.

Who this is for

A ReefTox technician working at the coral cultivation vat
Sample handling and exposure work take place in the same closed-loop facility as cultivation.
  • • BWTS vendors carrying systems through IMO type-approval cycles.
  • • Shipping operators with US-flag or US-bound vessels facing the VIDA / USCG implementing-rules window.
  • • Environmental managers at fleet operators with reef-adjacent routes.

Frequently asked questions

Green fluorescent zoanthids and branching Montipora corals on a frag rack under blue light in the ReefTox cultivation system
Corals cultivated on the frag rack in ReefTox's cultivation system.
Does coral testing replace the standard BWMS ecotox panel?

No. Coral is added as a complementary species to the marine ecotox panel you already run on treated discharge. ReefTox fills the missing coral endpoint for reef-adjacent operations; it does not replace the existing IMO BWMS Code testing.

What is tested, and what does it report?

BWTS treated discharge is run acute (96h) for EC50, LOEC and NOEC, and chronic (3 months + 1 month recovery) for EC10, EC50 and a chronic PNEC. Reporting is tuned to type-approval and discharge-permit dossiers.

Why does the timing matter for ballast water?

The IMO BWMS Code requires D-2 performance testing for type approval, and under US VIDA the USCG must issue implementing regulations by October 2026, superseding the VGP for US ballast-water discharge. Adding the coral endpoint ahead of those cycles avoids a gap when a reviewer asks for it.

Scope your ballast-water program with us.

Every marine engagement starts with a scoping call.

The coral cultivation vat under actinic blue light
The cultivation vat under actinic light in ReefTox's Brittany facility.
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