W&O Named Exclusive U.S./Canada Distributor of Hyde Guardian

Hyde Marine, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Calgon Carbon Corporation, said it has named W&O Supply as its exclusive sales distributor in the U.S. and Canada for Hyde Guardian Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS).

The chemical free Hyde Guardian BWTS uses efficient filtration and ultraviolet disinfection to treat ships' ballast water to prevent the spread of invasive species from port to port. In April 2013, the Hyde Guardian BWTS earned the Alternate Management System (AMS) approval from the United States CoastGuard (USCG). It also received International Maritime Organization (IMO) Type Approval in April 2009 and has Type Approvals from several Class Societies.

According to John Platz, President of Hyde Marine, Jacksonville, Florida-based W&O will begin selling Hyde Guardian BWTS effective immediately.

With 16 stocking locations in the U.S. and Canada, two in Europe and one in South America, W&O Supply serves all segments of the maritime industry, including commercial shipping, the U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, MARAD, U.S. Coast Guard, cruise lines, barge owners, upstream oil and gas rigs and the shipyards that build and repair vessels of all sizes.

AMS approval is an interim measure that allows BWTS to be used on vessels for five years after the vessel is required to comply with the USCG Ballast Water Discharge Standards. The five-year period is designed to allow the BWTS manufacturer sufficient time to obtain U.S. Type Approval and ensure the ship operator’s compliance with U.S. ballast water regulations into the future.

Tested and validated at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), one of the most challenging ballast water test facilities in the world, the Hyde Guardian BWTS ultimatelybecame the first BWTS accepted into the U.S. Coast Guard’s Shipboard Technology Evaluation Program (STEP), which facilitates the development of effective BWTS technologies for vessel owners seeking alternatives to ballast water exchange.

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