Wärtsilä to Provide BWMS for Eletson's Tankers
The technology group Wärtsilä’s dual technology option for Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) will enable Greece based operator Eletson Corporation to have its entire fleet retrofitted from a single provider.
A total of 23 product oil, chemical, and LPG carriers of the company’s fleet will be retrofitted with up to 69 Wärtsilä BWMS units, comprising of both their Aquarius UV (ultra-violet) and Aquarius EC (electro-chlorination) systems. The order was booked in February 2019.
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention came into force for newbuild vessels in September 2017, and for existing vessels by their next special survey after September 2019. It is aimed at preventing the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another, and at halting damage to the marine environment from ballast water discharge.
The Wärtsilä BWMS technology is well proven for its efficiency and robustness. The Wärtsilä Aquarius UV BWMS has successfully completed all the required testing procedures and has been submitted for US Coastguard (USCG) Type Approval. This follows the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Type Approval for the Aquarius UV system, which was granted in 2012. The USCG approval process is extensive and involves both land and sea testing. The company’s alternative BWMS technology, the Wärtsilä Aquarius EC, was granted USCG Type Approval in August 2018, and IMO Type Approval in 2013.