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Press Release
For more information, please contact:
Ecochlor, Inc.
Tom Perlich
President
(205) 980-1131
tpp@ecochlor.com
Ecochlor, Inc. and Matson Navigation Collaborate to Verify the Effectiveness of the Ecochlor Ballast Water Treatment System on the M/V Moku Pahu.
ACTON, MASS (August 4, 2005) Ecochlor, Inc. and Matson Navigation
Company, Inc. announced today that the two companies are collaborating to verify
the effectiveness of Ecochlors patented Ballast Water Treatment System
that has been designed to safely and economically eliminate unwanted aquatic species
from ballast water. The system will be installed in the next few months on the
M/V Moku Pahu, which is managed by Matson on behalf of Hawaiian Sugar and
Transportation Cooperative.
According to Ecochlor President Tom Perlich, Chlorine dioxide
has been used for 50 years to treat industrial water and drinking water, but
has never been used to treat seawater. We have conducted extensive research
at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, independent
testing laboratories, and aboard ship to prove the effectiveness of chlorine
dioxide against invasive species, and have worked over the last four years to
develop the Ecochlor System, designed specifically for marine applications.
We are pleased to be working with Matson over the upcoming months to demonstrate
the effectiveness of our systems on a large commercial bulker in the Pacific
Ocean. Ecochlor also has an operating system on Atlantic Container Lines
Atlantic Compass which operates between the East Coast of the US and
Northern Europe.
Jack Sullivan, Vice President, Vessel Operations of Matson, adds, We
are proud to be working with Ecochlor to deal with this environmental issue.
Over the last few years we have carefully examined other technologies and believe
Ecochlors can set the performance standard at reasonable cost for the
industry. The Moku Pahu is an integrated tug and barge (ITB) designed
specifically to carry raw sugar from Hawaii to the US mainland, and is an excellent
choice for an international demonstration of the Ecochlor System.
The worldwide transfer of aquatic invasive species poses severe environmental,
economic and public health issues and is now a major international concern.
For over a hundred years, oceangoing vessels have been designed to carry ballast
water to facilitate stability and safe maneuverability. Since the 1970s,
however, with the advent of larger, faster ships and the globalization of trade,
the amount of ballast water being used and discharged around the world has increased
dramatically.
International standards requiring the treatment of ballast water are currently
being adopted, and in the U.S. a number of states have passed, or are in the
process of passing, laws mandating the treatment of ballast water.
About Ecochlor
Ecochlor (www.ecochlor.com), founded in 2001, has developed
a proprietary, state-of-theart ballast water treatment system
to provide a global solution to the transfer of aquatic invasive
species. The Ecochlor Ballast Water Treatment System
has been patented in the US, and other patents are pending in the
US and internationally. Ecochlor Systems provide the shipping industry
with a cost effective, environmentally acceptable treatment system,
which provides immediate compliance with all enacted and proposed
IMO standards and regulations. Ecochlors in-house experts
and team of strategic partners not only supply complete design and
fabrication of the Ecochlor Systems, but also marine engineering,
naval architecture, chemical treatment expertise, shipboard installation
and ongoing technical and regulatory certification support.
Ecochlor is based in the USA with capabilities to install, service and support
systems throughout the world.
About Matson Navigation:
Matson Navigation Company (www.matson.com),
headquartered in Oakland, California, is one of the leading U.S. domestic carriers
with a longstanding reputation for quality service in the transportation industry.
Founded in 1882 and incorporated in 1901, Matson is the principal carrier of
containerized freight and automobiles between the West Coast and Hawaii, Guam
and Mid-Pacific, and is the largest subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.
of Honolulu (NASDAQ: ALEX).
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