Ecochlor Presents BWTS Case Study at CMA
Ballast water treatment technology developer Ecochlor Inc. presented a project case study yesterday at CMA Shipping 2015 in Stamford, Conn.
The case study covered the retrofit of Ecochlor’s ballast water treatment system (BWTS) aboard the 2007-built ro/ro car carrier vessel M/V Green Bay following an order from International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) in 2013.
ISH ordered Ecochlor systems for seven of its ships, including vehicle carriers and bulk carriers, to be installed between 2014 and 2016. Installation and commissioning aboard U.S.-flagged M/V Green Bay, the first ISH vessel to receive the BWTS (a 500 m3/hr system), was completed in 2014 by a ride on crew while the vessel remained in operation.
Ecochlor’s scalable systems are unique in that they are the only BWTS to use chlorine dioxide (CIO2) to treat ballast water, as Ecochlor is the sole patent holder for this technology.
Chlorine dioxide, not to be confused with chlorine, has been used for more than 60 years across a wide range of applications, including the treatment of drinking water, vegetables, etc. It is especially useful for ballast water treatment in that it is immediately effective on all organisms and bio-film, it does not form byproducts, and is not affected by organics, salinity or temperature.
Ecochlor said it has begun United States Coast Guard testing in March 2015. The Ecochlor BWTS has previously received International Maritime Organization (IMO) Type Approval and USCG Alternative Management System (AMS) Acceptance.