Charlie Miller News

Ballast water treatment systems manufacturer Ecochlor, Inc. has named Steve Candito as its new CEO, effective August 8, 2017. Candito succeeds retiring CEO, Charlie Miller, who will assist during the transition. Tom Perlich, Ecochlor Founder and President, said, “Charlie has been instrumental in Ecochlor’s growth over the last 15 years. During his tenure, we have put together a skilled and experienced team, and find ourselves positioned as a global front-runner in the BWT industry.

Ecochlor, Inc. announced that it has completed a $10 million equity financing to support its growth into the burgeoning ballast water treatment market. Since its formation in 2001, Ecochlor has raised over $22 million in equity. Charlie Miller, Ecochlor’s Chairman and CEO, commented that “we are pleased to have the support of both new and existing investors in this recent financing. The Ecochlor BWTS uses a two-step process to treat ballast water – filtration followed by disinfection with the well-known biocide, chlorine dioxide.

Followers of the Ballast Water Treatement System (BWTS) situation (ie. presumably anyone reading this publication) were heartened last month when the U.S Coast Guard announced its acceptance of nine BWTS as Alternate Management Systems (AMS), helping to finally bring some clarity to ship owners, yards and suppliers. On April 15, 2013, the USCG announced the acceptance of the ballast water treatment systems as AMS in compliance with the service’s March 2012 final rule for Standards for Living Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water Discharged (SLOSBWD) in U.S. waters.

Ecochlor, Inc. receives US Coast Guard Alternative Management System (AMS) acceptance for its full line of ballast water management systems (BWMS). AMS acceptancel allows ship operators to use an Ecochlor ballast water management system in US waters to effectively manage their ballast discharges. It is also an indication that Ecochlor’s BWMS are up to the challenge of successfully completing the United States Coast Guard (USCG) review. AMS approval allows ship operators to use ballast water management systems that have been type approved outside the United States for up to five years, while the vendor of the system proceeds through the USCG type approval application process.

Ecochlor, Inc. announced that it has received Product Design Assessment (PDA) Approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for their full range of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS). These systems have the capacity to treat ballast water flow rates of up to 16,000 m3/hr. Prior to ABS PDA Approval, the Ecochlor BWTS received IMO G9 Final Approval in September 2010. In November 2011, Ecochlor was granted IMO Type Approval (G8) from the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH). Ten consecutive test cycles on land and aboard ship over a two-year period resulted in no surviving organisms after treatment. With testing results of all zeros, it proved that the system could meet or exceed proposed US requirements of at least 10X IMO standards.

Ecochlor Inc. announced that it had recently completed a $4.1 million equity financing to support its growth into the burgeoning ballast water treatment market. Investors participating in the financing included Sojitz Marine & Engineering Corporation, the shipping subsidiary of the Japanese trading company, Sojitz Corporation, and a number of individual investors. Sojitz invested $1.8 million. As part of the financing, Sojitz became the exclusive distributor for Ecochlor’s products in Japan and Taiwan and a non-exclusive distributor in China and South Korea. “We are pleased to have the support of Sojitz, both as an investor and as a distribution Partner,” said Charlie Miller, Ecochlor’s CEO.