Singaporean ballast water treatment system manufacturer Semb-Eco’s ballast water management system has been type-approved by the US Coast Guard
The Coast Guard Marine Safety Centre has issued its 33rd US Coast Guard ballast water management system (BWMS) type-approval certificate to Semb-Eco Pte after a detailed review of the manufacturer’s type-approval application determined the system met the requirements of 46 CFR 162.060.
The treatment principle of the Semb-Eco LUV U1 BWMS consists of filtration and UV during uptake and discharge.
This approval covers one model with a maximum treatment rated capacity of 500 m3 per hour. According the type-approval certificate, the Semb-Eco system may be installed and operated in accordance with the Semb-Eco LUV U1 operation, maintenance, and safety manual, Rev. C14, dated 22 May 2020.
The USCG lists the Semb-Eco LUV U1 BWMS operational limitations as:
The type-approval certificate states the BWMS has not been verified to meet the requirements of 46 CFR subchapter F and J, and may not be installed on a US flag vessel. The certificate adds the BWMS is not intended to meet the requirements of 46 CFR 111.105 and may not be installed in hazardous locations on a US flag vessel. The BWMS is not intended for installation in hazardous locations on foreign vessels.
According to the Semb-Eco website, the system is the “world’s first LED-UV disinfection system”. It was jointly developed by Sembcorp Marine and Ecospec Global Technology and combines conventional UV and Ecospec’s patented ultra low frequency wave (ULF) technology. The company states, “The pooling of these two segments of the electromagnetic spectrum (UV and ULF) produces a highly efficient non-chemical treatment system that consumes very low power.”
In 2019, shipbuilding and repair group Sembcorp Marine took full ownership of technologies developed in partnership with Ecospec as it aimed to capitalise on an uptick in environmental retrofits.
The Semb-Eco ballast water treatment system, EIMag cathodic protection, BioMag fouling control, ScaMag boiler water treatment and CSNOx emissions abatement technologies all deploy ultra-low frequency wave technology patented by Ecospec. As part of a share swap, Sembcorp Marine will both relinquish its investment in Ecospec and acquire intellectual property around these technologies.
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