Wastewater Treatment Technology News

ACO Marine has been awarded contracts to supply its wastewater treatment technology as retrofit solutions to river cruise vessels operating on European waterways. The 232-passenger capacity sisters Ukraina and Moldavia, undergoing refit work at the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company’s fleet maintenance base in Izmail, Ukraine, will each be retrofitted with a Maripur NF 250 unit. In a separate agreement, a Maripur NF 150 unit will also be supplied to Linz Shipyard for retrofit to the 150-passenger capacity river cruise vessel Carissima. Due to space limitations aboard all these vessels, ACO Marine will use the ships’ existing holding tanks as a bioreactor in the first stage of the treatment process.

ACO Marine has welcomed the findings reported in the Friends of the Earth 2016 Cruise Ship Report Card, the annual survey of cruise shipping’s impact on the environment, which highlights a growing need for the sector to update its sewage treatment technology. The annual FOE survey, published in June, documented the environmental footprint of 17 cruise lines and 171 cruise ships, finding that a significant proportion of vessels continue to operate out-dated sewage treatment plant. The FOE found that 40% of cruiseships continue to use 35-year-old technology, calling for an urgent upgrade to systems capable of preventing environmental damage from the discharge of poorly treated black, grey and galley waste water streams.

Wärtsilä Hamworthy has won a contract from Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. to supply two Membrane BioReactors (MBRs) to the 141,000gt newbuilding under construction for Carnival group member P&O Cruises. Hamworthy has delivered more than 25 MBR advanced wastewater systems to the world’s largest cruise ship operator, Carnival. The company’s MBR system produces the highest quality discharge without requiring any addition or generation of chemicals that are hazardous to the environment or vessel operation. For this contract Wärtsilä Hamworthy will also be responsible for UV polishing.

Wärtsilä Hamworthy has won a contract from Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. to supply two Membrane BioReactors (MBRs) to the 141,000gt newbuilding under construction for Carnival group member P&O Cruises. Hamworthy has delivered more than 25 MBR advanced wastewater systems to the world’s largest cruise ship operator, Carnival. The company’s MBR system produces the highest quality discharge without requiring any addition or generation of chemicals that are hazardous to the environment or vessel operation. For this contract Wärtsilä Hamworthy will also be responsible for UV polishing. The 3,611 passenger capacity vessel is set to enter service in March 2015. It will be the largest to be constructed for the British market and the order includes an option for a second vessel.

Cruise ship lines will cover Washington's costs to administer an environmental agreement that limits and tracks wastewater discharges from large cruise liners. The Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the Port of Seattle have signed a companion accord to the 2004 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ecology, the Port and the NorthWest CruiseShip Association (NWCA). Ecology spent approximately $47,500 to inspect the wastewater treatment systems aboard the large ships, collect and test wastewater samples, review records, monitor compliance and prepare reports last year. The Port will reimburse Ecology for those costs, and collect that amount from NWCA-member ships - the large liners that sail between Seattle and Alaska from April to October each year - as part of their moorage fees.

Seabourn Cruise Line announced today that it will build two new, ultra luxury ships, for delivery in spring 2009 and 2010. Seabourn, a division of Miami-based Carnival Corporation has signed a letter of intent for the project with shipbuilder T. Mariotti S.p.A. of Genoa, Italy. The sister ships will have an all-in U.S. dollar cost of $250 million each. Each of the 32,000-GRT ships will accommodate all guests in 225 luxury suites, ninety percent of which will offer private verandas. Combined, the two vessels will more than double Seabourn's current fleet capacity of 634 berths. The letter of intent to build the ships is subject to a number of conditions including definitive contracts, financing and other terms.