Ballast Water Treatment Technologies
Active
- Assistance listing
- 20.819
- Agency
-
Maritime Administration
Department of Transportation
- Grant awards
- 10 $52,603,261 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 69-1750-7-0-101
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Transportation Maritime Administration funds evaluation and verification of ballast water treatment technologies and green shipping initiatives under CFDA 20.819, with the most recent grant award disbursed on September 25, 2025.
The program supports testing, evaluation, and demonstration of ballast water treatment methods, systems, and equipment at shipboard, barge-based, and shore-side facilities designed to simulate in-tank configurations and flow requirements typical of commercial vessels. Funded activities have included development of ballast water reception facility designs for Great Lakes vessel types, design and construction of rail connections to shipping terminals, ferry design and master planning, ballast water monitoring device standards development, in-water grooming technology evaluation, and ballast treatment testing facility upgrades. The program aims to address aquatic invasive species control in the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters throughout the United States related to ballast water operations of commercial shipping.
Awards are predominantly Cooperative Agreements (60% of awards) with a smaller share of Project Grants (40%). The Department of Transportation Maritime Administration is the sole funding agency under this program. Combined federal dollars obligated total $52.6 million across ten awards since 2011, with a recent award cadence of one award per year in 2023, 2024, and 2025, after two awards in 2021 and single awards in 2022.
Representative recent awards include a $17.9 million Project Grant for final design and construction of rail infrastructure improvements at the Port of Bellingham (awarded September 25, 2025); a $1.5 million Project Grant to the Delaware River & Bay Authority for comprehensive ferry master plan development and new vessel design (awarded June 14, 2023); and a $250 thousand Cooperative Agreement with Monstrant Viam LLC for ballast water reception readiness engineering design guides targeting Great Lakes vessel types (awarded July 12, 2024).
The source does not indicate that grant opportunities are currently open for new applications.
Objective and description
- Objective
MARAD will use the projects results and data for a variety of purposes including to further the current efforts that address the curtailment of aquatic invasive species within the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters throughout the United States as asso
- Description
MARAD will use the projects results and data for a variety of purposes including to further the current efforts that address the curtailment of aquatic invasive species within the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters throughout the United States as associated with ballast water operations of commercial shipping.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
The assistance will be used to support the Evaluation and Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technologies and other Green Shipping Initiatives. Applicants must be able to provide technical services, equipment and to support the testing, evaluation, and demonstration of treatment methods, practices, systems and equipment. Technical efforts will be primarily directed towards the evaluation of the effectiveness of ballast water treatment technologies and systems at shipboard/barge-based and shore side facilities fabricated to simulate the in-tank configuration(s) and flow requirements typical of commercial vessels.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Beneficiary eligibility include State, Public nonprofit institution/organization, other public institution/organization, Private nonprofit institution/organization, and Education Professional.
- Uses of assistance
The Cooperative Agreement seeks to support the Evaluation and Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technologies and other Green Shipping Initiatives.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
The funding is available for one year after the date of award of individual tasks. See the following on how assistance is awarded/released. Funds are disbursed on a monthly basis by submission of SF-270 invoices. There will be several tasks to be implemented and funded under this project, the period of performance and funding for each task will all be within the time frame of the entire project which will be for four (4) years, FY' 2013-2017.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Applications submitted must support for the Evaluation and Verification of Ballast Water Treatment Technologies and other Green Shipping Initiatives.
- Award procedure
MARAD solicits a request for applications, in grants.gov, applicants submit applications through grants.gov. Evaluation of applications by program office, selected applications awarded by the Grants Specialist in the Office of Acquisition within 30-60 days.
Grant awards
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Of Wisconsin System | $33,188,682 | 63% |
| 2 | Port Of Bellingham | $17,931,000 | 34% |
| 3 | Delaware River & Bay Authority | $600,000 | 1% |
| 4 | University Of Maryland, College Park | $404,540 | 1% |
| 5 | Monstrant Viam, Inc. | $250,000 | <1% |
| 6 | California State University, Maritime Academy | $198,712 | <1% |
| 7 | University Of Maryland Center For Environmental Science | $30,326 | <1% |
7 of 9 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$150,931 |
| FY2025 | $15,214,894 |
| FY2024 | $3,123,570 |
| FY2023 | $197,285 |
| FY2022 | $14,806,083 |
| FY2021 | $8,565,000 |
| FY2013 | $394,540 |
| FY2011 | $10,000 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 20.819?
Assistance Listing 20.819 is Ballast Water Treatment Technologies, a federal grant program run by Maritime Administration (Department of Transportation).
What is the CFDA number for Ballast Water Treatment Technologies?
Its CFDA number is 20.819: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 20.819 awarded?
10 grant awards under 20.819 have obligated $52,603,261 in federal funds to 9 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 20.819?
The recipients obligated the most under Ballast Water Treatment Technologies are University Of Wisconsin System ($33,188,682), Port Of Bellingham ($17,931,000) and Delaware River & Bay Authority ($600,000).
How much did 20.819 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 20.819 obligated $15,214,894 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
On GovTribe
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