10cells on expedition

10cells - the Ballast Water (BW) Tester on cruise: bbe took part in a scientific expedition with the German research vessel “Meteor” in June 2015. The trip took 12 days, started in Cape Verde (Africa) and ended in Hamburg (Germany). One of the cruise’s goals was to test different rapid testing methods for checking ballast water. The test conditions were very well prepared and 10cells performed well throughout.

The IOcells: for indicative testing of ballast water

Regulations will come into force soon: Once the BWM convention of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is ratified, ballast water may only contain less than 10 living cells per ml in the size range of 10-50µm. Algae represent the greatest amount of biomass in ballast water in this size range. Therefore, they are an ideal parameter for ballast water quality control. bbe Moldaenke is one of the leading manufacturers of algae measuring devices. With over 20 years’ experience in this field, bbe has developed a highly sensitive Ballast Water Testing Device: the 10cells. The measuring principle is based on the natural fluorescence of algal cells, but we have greatly improved the sensitivity using a modified PAM method. The 10cells is able to identify down to one living cell per ml. Thus, it’s 10 times more sensitive than the amount of living cells allowed in ballast water by the IMO convention. The sensitivity can be enhanced over a great range by increasing the amount of filtered water. Additionally, the 10cells is light-weight, easy handling and takes less than 1 minute per measurement.


The 10cells has complied with all requirements during the trip. It is sea suitable and a very sensitive measuring device. Using this new device, it is possible to check ballast water very easy, fast, safely, and on-site.

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