Change in BWTS type-approval status – what does it mean? 1

One company that has applied to the US Coast Guard (USCG) for amendment approval requests to its ballast water treatment system (BWTS) has asked Ballast Water Treatment Technology to pass on an explanation regarding the status of its BWTS within the USCG type approval system. 

As BWTT reported, a recent format change to type-approval applications on the USCG website has revealed several new amendment approval requests for ballast water treatment systems.

The company, Ecochlor, said that its request to update its current USCG type-approval did not include any changes that would impact its BWTS' operation, technology or efficacy. The changes were primarily due to revisions to its Operating Maintenance Safety Manual.

These modifications include updates to approved standard drawings and documents. In addition, updates were made to control software version and components based on manufacturer offerings and fabrication details. This same update documentation has been sent to DNV GL to align [USCG and IMO] approvals.

Ecochlor, explained that a manufacturer may have made amendments to software or documents that apply to a type-approved ballast water treatment systems (BWTS). The amendments may be requested even though there is no change to the underlying approved technology. Therefore, the change of status to "pending" should not be interpreted as a downgrading of status.

Ecochlor gave the following example: on the USCG Marine Safety Center website in the “Under Review” section, the Ecochlor BWTS is listed both as "USCG type-approved, 2017 August" and as “pending.”

The USCG portal explains the “pending” status as follows: “manufacturers [that] have requested multiple amendments to their Type Approval Certificates. The first date is the date when the original certificate was issued, and the date in parentheses is the date of the current amendment.”