Damen’s First LoFlo BWTS Delivered for RNLN Submarine
First LoFlo 60 Ballast Water Treatment System by Damen delivered for installation
Damen announced the first of its new LoFlo ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) has been delivered for installation in January 2016; the LoFlo 60 will be fitted on board the Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNLN) submarine support ship and torpedo tender HNLMS Mercuur (A900), as part of a maintenance and refit program currently underway at Damen Shipyards Den Helder in the Netherlands.
The IMO Ballast Water Management Convention expected to come into force in November 2016, requiring that all vessels undergoing IOPP renewal surveys thereafter will need to comply with new ballast water discharge regulations.
With its range of ballast water treatment solutions, Damen said it is ready to meet the challenges ahead. The LoFlo product, powered by BioSea, is designed to cater to the needs of smaller vessels with limited space down below. Superyachts, offshore vessels, utility support vessels and auxiliary vessels all fall into this category.
The LoFlo units are capable of treating 30, 60 and 90 cubic meters per hour respectively using filtration and UV, in addition to its larger capacity products. With most BWTS having a capacity of 100 cubic meters per hour or more, the IMO-type approved LoFlo systems ensure that smaller vessels can avoid unnecessarily high investment cost, power consumption and excessive footprints, Damen explained. The systems can be supplied in a compact arrangement mounted on a skid for easy and efficient, plug-and-play integration on board the vessel, or can be installed in a modular arrangement.
In order to provide a full range of BWT retrofit solutions Damen works with selected ballast water management partners Trojan Marinex, BioSea and Evoqua Water Technologies. BWT systems from these makers are IMO-type approved, USCG AMS accepted and are on track for USCG-type approval.
Damen offers total BWT solutions that cover the entire process of choosing and installation. The stages involved include system selection, survey and 3D scanning, engineering, procurement, installation, commissioning and training.
