Bwt System News

Many shipowners are making hay while the sun shines as high charter rates in some market segments have fueled revenue - but they could reap trouble by delaying yard stays for ballast water treatment (BWT) system retrofits as the clock ticks on installation time, according to supplier Optimarin.“There is definitely a commercial rationale for carrying out retrofits in the near term rather than waiting due to the huge backlog of vessels that need to be retrofitted over the next few years to gain IMO compliance…

Norwegian based ballast water treatment system (BWTS) manufacturer Optimarin announced an agreement with U.S.-based Lee Engineering Supply Company to warehouse critical spare parts and plans to expand its global service network.According to Optimarin CEO, Leiv Kallestad, the agreement represents a step in the company’s efforts to provide after-sale service to owners operating in the Gulf of Mexico. “By warehousing critical spare parts at Lee Engineering’s facilities in Louisiana, we can make sure our customers have rapid access to both spare parts and service, if required,” he says.

Installing ballast water treatment systems to comply with new regulations will require owners to automate ballast operations on board their vessels or barges. Retrofitting ballast water treatment systems generally requires modifications to the existing ballast systems. Many older vessels have remote operated valves, but no automation of the ballast system. EMI has been working with parent company W&O to provide blue water barges with innovative solutions to add automation functionality to their fleet.

In the quarter of a century since its formation in 1994, ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin has never experienced a year quite like 2018.The Norwegian headquartered firm has revealed that the previous 12 months saw it sell more than 100 systems and achieve record revenues. However, according to company CEO Tore Andersen, 2019 is already shaping up to set a new standard, with the orderbook currently five times the size it was at this point in 2018. Revenues, he says…

An Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) installed on Seven Pacific, a Subsea7 vessel, in 2015 has been upgraded to meet the ballast water treatment system (BWTS) requirements of the United States Coast Guard (USCG).The Norway-based BWTS provider said in a press release that it originally installed its UV-based technology onboard the advanced offshore construction and pipe-laying vessel in 2015. Since that point the 667-m3 market proven system has, according to Seven Pacific Chief Engineer Oddgeir Refvik, been running smoothly, with minimal maintenance and easy operation.Refvik described the upgrade as “very straightforward”. He said: “It only took a couple of hours to perform - basically being a software modification.

U.K.-based Coldharbour Marine, a manufacturer of ballast water treatment systems based on inert gas technology, has reached an agreement with Greece’s TMS Tankers to retrofit its GLD BWT System. TMS Tankers is a member of the Athens based TMS Group operating currently 43 tankers. The 2013-built 158,513DWT Suezmax tanker Bordeira, owned and operated by TMS Tankers, will be the first to be fitted with Coldharbour’s BWT System in early 2018 and will be used to carry out U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) type approval tests for Coldharbour, supervised by Lloyd’s Register. LR has Independent Laboratory Approval status with the USCG. The classification society has already overseen IMO type approval for the Coldharbour system, validated by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Environmentally friendly and compliant BWT technology company  Optimarin gave a demonstration of its long-term system reliability onboard Neptune Subsea’s IMR vessel Larissa in the same week that a report from ABS revealed problems with almost half of installed ballast water treatment (BWT) systems. Optimarin has installed more than 300 of its systems worldwide, with over 500 units ordered. The 334 m3 capacity system onboard the SX130 Ulstein design Larissa was one of the first, installed during its construction by Zhejiang Shipbuilding in 2010. Since that point it has only seen 140 hours of operation. Given its prolonged idle time, Per Ivar Fagervoll…

Optimarin informs it has signed an agreement with Goltens Green Technologies giving the Norwegian-headquartered ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist a global network of spare parts warehousing and service engineers. The framework agreement, negotiated at this month’s Nor-Shipping, will enable Optimarin to use facilities in Asia, North America and the Middle East to provide its worldwide customer base with local lead times for the commissioning and maintenance of its market proven Optimarin Ballast System (OBS). “We know Goltens very well,” said Optimarin CEO, Tore Andersen.

Following five weeks of repair and installation activities, Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock (VDC) has completed its refit activities on Louis Dreyfus’ Ile de Batz Special Purpose/Cable Layer vessel. Arriving on April 21 and departing VDC on-schedule on May 25, 2017, the Paris, France-based vessel underwent a wide scope of work that included the assembly of a new plow (special insitu welding/machining), overall support for mobilizing the ship, as well as the primary focus of the refit program, the installation of a Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) system – the first of its kind at VDC. “This innovative repair and maintenance project truly was an all-hands-on-deck job…

ABN AMRO Transportation has concluded financing for the installation of ballast water treatment systems on several vessels for its Danish client, Celsius Shipping. As per September 8, 2017, the IMO Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) Convention will enter into force. The convention will stop the spread of invasive aquatic species, which can be a threat to local ecosystems and affect biodiversity. Under the convention, vessels will be required to install a BWT system. This will have implications for both shipping clients and ABN AMRO as the core financier. Ballast water is carried on board a vessel to keep it stable when it is not, or not (fully) loaded. Once cargo has been loaded onto the vessel, the ballast water needs to be discharged.

Global ship management services provider Anglo-Eastern Ship Management has created a unique ballast water treatment (BWT) training facility at its Manila base in the Philippines. Working in conjunction with BWT specialist Optimarin and Saga Shipholding, Anglo-Eastern has built an essential resource for training crews in the wake of the ratification of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. The facility, which officially opened this month, features a fully functional Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) at its heart…

Ratification of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) convention has been welcomed by stakeholders throughout the maritime industry, including CMR Group, which said it sees the move as a boost for system and equipment manufacturers. The marine electrical wiring control and instrumentation specialist CMR Group commented after Finland ratified the convention, which saw the total tonnage of contracting states surpass the 35 percent mark. The countdown has now started for ship owners and managers, as the convention comes into effect from September 2017.

Cathelco announced that its Evolution ballast water treatment (BWT) system has begun shipboard testing for U.S. Coast Guard Type Approval. The system has been installed on the Svendborg Strait a 1,085 TEU containership owned by Carsten Rehder of Hamburg. “From the start of this project to the final completion we appreciate the care and attention to detail from Cathelco, leading to a smooth, trouble free installation. We are very pleased with the outcome and look forward to continuing our relationship with Cathelco,” said Julian Glogowski, technical director at Carsten Rehder.

Trojan Marinex said its ballast water treatment (BWT) system now includes inline lamp drivers, therefore enabling a reduction in cabling and electrical panels , as well as a total system footprint reduction of up to 30 percent. “Research and science, in combination with rigorous product development, enables continual, meaningful innovation,” said Mark Kustermans, Market Manager at Trojan Marinex. “We immediately recognized the synergistic advantages of connecting our UV lamp and drivers together.

Fednav Limited,  an  international bulk shipowner in Canada, has welcomed to the Port of Indiana – Burns Harbor, the Federal Caribou, one of seven new oceangoing lakers equipped with a ballast water treatment system—a first for the Great Lakes. This vessel protects the Lakes by treating its ballast water two times: by conducting an exchange in the North Atlantic, and through filtration and a chlorine disinfection treatment on the ship. The Federal Caribou is part of a series of 16 Handysize vessels…

Ballast water treatment (BWT) system specialist Optimarin said it has completed the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) environmental test and all land-based and shipboard testing for marine, brackish and fresh water. It is understood to be the first supplier of UV-based BWT technology to satisfy the USCG’s CMFDA testing criteria. Optimarin has specialized in environmentally friendly UV treatment technology for the past 22 years, installing the world’s first ever commercial system in 2000 on the cruise ship Princess Regal.

The first production version of Damen’s InvaSave ballast water treatment system – intended for use at Groningen Seaports – will be on display at the upcoming ‘DelfSail’ sailing festival between June 30 and July 3 in the city of Delfzijl, the Netherlands. Damen’s InvaSave ballast water treatment (BWT) system is intended to operate in ports and mobile operations as a fully containerized “plug and play” unit that provides ship owners with an alternative to retrofitting fixed BWT systems. This will also give port authorities the versatility to improve the services that they can offer ship owners.

Cathelco have supplied a ballast water treatment (BWT) system for the C.C. Pacifique, a steel barge which is being converted into a cable laying vessel for Coastal Carriers BV of the Netherlands. The order for the system was placed by V.Delta, part of V.Group, the international ship management company who are managing the conversion of the 120 meter vessel which is taking place in Singapore. The BWT system has a capacity of 300 m3/hr and has been supplied as a self contained skid mounted unit.

Ballast water treatment (BWT) system Optimarin has picked up an order covering 15 vessels from VARD shipyards. The vessels, VARD 9 21 Design specialist module carriers, will be constructed for ship owner Topaz at two shipyards in Romania - Vard Braila and Vard Tulcea – and one in Vietnam, Vard Vung Tau. “VARD knows our systems well, having installed some 55 units on their newbuildings across the world since 2011,” said Optimarin CEO, Tore Andersen. “They choose us for our expertise and commitment to absolute compliance…

OceanSaver informs it has finalized all testing required for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) type approval application of ballast water management systems. OceanSaver concluded testing along the Pacific coast of North America in close cooperation with ship owner CSL, and all tests have met the USCG’s requirements. “We successfully completed shipboard tests as scheduled on May 5. Component testing was finalized shortly afterwards – and all tests have been confirmed to meet all USCG requirements,” said Helle Hundseid, CEO at OceanSaver. “We expect to finalize the formal application within beginning of June, thus being among the very first BWTS vendors to submit an official application to the U.S.

With its latest succession of contracts won, ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin reports it has now sold more than 400 of its environmentally friendly UV-based systems. Optimarin said 2016 has been a boom year for a company that installed the first ever commercial BWT system back in 2000. Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) orders have been confirmed with Atlantis Tankers (10 units) and Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group (nine), while the firm also made its first foray into fishing, with a contract for the Fisherman’s Finest vessel America’s Finest.

Ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin is continuing its strong start to the year, with the news that its Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) has been selected for nine Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group AHTS vessels. The contract win comes on the back of a recent ten unit order from Atlantis Tankers and the firm’s first foray into the fishing sector, with Fisherman’s Finest’s America’s Finest trawler. The nine AHTS vessels, designed by Sinopacific’s Shanghai Design Associates specialist OSV team, will be operated by ESNAAD, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

Optimarin has won a contract to install its Optimarin Ballast System (OBS) on Østensjø Rederi’s Edda Fides, the world’s only purpose-built monohull accommodation vessel. The Norwegian ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist secured the business following on from the success of a previous installation on the firm’s Edda Fortis in 2015. Edda Fides, which is operated by Østensjø Rederi`s subsidiary Edda Accommodation, is a multipurpose accommodation and service ship, with a 600 bed capacity, 1,400 square meters of deck area, advanced offshore crane and helicopter deck.