Containerised BWMS suppliers target ports

Mr Hummer said: “We are extremely pleased to have been awarded type-approval by the USCG, which has one of the toughest approval processes.”

“Hamburg stands out from the other European ports by offering a mobile, state-of-the-art BWTS”

For Bawat, the containerised version opens up a new customer base, and in that respect it is joining the likes of the global shipbuilding group Damen, whose Damen Green Solutions division has been targeting the ballast water treatment requirements of the port sector. For example Jongen GmbH – which offers waste oil, wastewater and waste removal services for maritime traffic in the Port of Hamburg – is adding Damen’s InvaSave to its portfolio.

The InvaSave 300 IMO-certified system is an external ballast water treatment unit that, in a single pass, uses mechanical filtration and ultraviolet radiation to remove and eradicate invasive organisms from ballast water as it is discharged from inbound vessels, to IMO-D2 standards. InvaSave can also provide ballast water of the same quality to outbound vessels. The system comes in a single, 40-ft container and is fully mobile.

Speaking after taking delivery of the InvaSave system, Jongen’s director Julia Dettmer said: “We believe that Hamburg stands out from the other European ports by offering a mobile, state-of-the-art BWTS. The Invasave 300 is Hamburg’s answer to the IMO Convention, to prevent the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms.”

Damen’s InvaSave 300 can treat ballast water without any holding time. Suitable for outbound and inbound vessels, it treats ballast water to IMO-D2 standards and utilises no chemicals to eliminate invasive organisms via a single pass.

Operating as an external unit, the InvaSave 300 is housed in a standard container, which gives owners of the system increased mobility, according to Damen Green Solutions representative Matthijs Schuiten. “Because InvaSave fits on a trailer, workboat or barge, and no storage for holding time is required, operators can easily move it to where it is needed,” he said. “The mobility of InvaSave means that shipowners calling on Jongen’s new BWTS in the Port of Hamburg can keep their downtime to a minimum. This includes downtime during port calls, as well as the downtime needed for retrofitting an onboard BWTS.”

In Spain, Damen Green Solutions has teamed up with Tradebe Santander to receive ballast water from a tanker in Gijon. What appears to be a relatively simple exercise has significant ramifications for all operational vessels – particularly older ships which might not financially justify retrofitting a compliant BWTS.

As IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention is extended to cover existing vessels in addition to newbuilds, vessel owners must address their processes for taking on or discharging ballast water. By the time of their first IOPP certificate renewal following the 8 September 2019 deadline, all vessels will be required to meet IMO-D2 standards regarding ballast water treatment.

“InvaSave provides a mobile and flexible solution to this requirement,” said Mr Schuiten, “meeting market demand without causing operational delays. If a vessel is unable to discharge its ballast water, the loss of income through downtime, compounded by additional port costs, has a huge impact on the vessel owner’s bottom line.”