Ballast water treatment reactor launched in China, early deliveries already reported

A new and updated ballast water reactor was introduced at Marintec 2025, with the system already in production and initial deliveries described as well under way from a factory in China, according to Sweden-based Alfa Laval.

The reactor was presented as part of a ballast water management system and was reported to have attracted strong interest from the market.

Alfa Laval described PureBallast 3 Ultra as the compact core of its next-generation ballast water management system.

The public launch at Marintec introduced the maritime industry to “the compact, innovative core of the next-generation system designed to make ballast water management simpler and easier to achieve,” and said the design reflected years of experience and customer insights, evolving from thousands of PureBallast installations delivered since the technology was first introduced in partnership with Wallenius Water over two decades ago.

Production of the new reactor has been located at Alfa Laval’s factory in Qingdao, China.

The company said this regional presence “ensures shorter lead times and smoother co-ordination with shipyards in China and across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Deliveries of PureBallast 3 Ultra started in August 2025 and, with what the company called a growing orderbook, the system is “rapidly gaining traction in the market.”

Alfa Laval head of PureBallast Anna Wieslander underlined the development process behind the reactor.

Ms Wieslander said, “We are pleased to present the PureBallast 3 Ultra reactor for the first time here at Marintec. Its development is the result of targeted R&D and close dialogue with our customers. We are here to stay and believe this solution is exactly what the market needs, both in terms of environmental technology and in terms of serviceability to ensure BWMS compliance.”

PureBallast 3.2 and 3.5 Ultra are currently on the USCG “Under Review”, along with seven other BWMS, of which Headway Technologies’ OceanGuard Sim was the latest to be added in October 2025.