USCG Approves LR for BWTS Testing

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has been approved as an independent laboratory (IL) and will begin testing of Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS) to meet the United States Coast Guard (USCG) requirements.

The USCG regulations for the approval of BWTS came into effect in 2012. The regulations began to require the installation of improved BWTS onboard seagoing vessels from 2014. All vessels that trade in U.S. waters will be required to have an approved BWTS from the first dry-docking after 2016.

LR has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ballast Water test facility at DHI Denmark and the electro/technical testing company DELTA. These leading test facilities, supported by LR’s surveyors and statutory experts will conduct testing as part of our collectively recognized IL. 

Flans Kemp, LR’s Global Business Development Leader for Type Approval, commented, “For Ballast Water Treatment Systems equipment manufacturers, the challenge is in understanding the differences between the type approval regimes, and ensuring that their equipment has undergone all the necessary testing to obtain approval to meet the relevant regulations. LR can help manufacturers to understand the different regulatory regimes with differing requirements and streamline their testing and approval activities to minimize the time and costs involved in getting their technology to the market.

“LR helps owners ensure their systems are tested and approved to the highest standards, to ensure that they can meet the requirements of vessel operators trading worldwide,” he added.