Wärtsilä’s Aquarius UV and Aquarius EC ballast water management systems (BWMS) have been granted compliance with IMO’s Resolution MEPC.300(72) on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Authority
Classification society DNV GL granted the approval and awarded the system type-approval status in accordance with their classification rules. The certifications were awarded to Wärtsilä in March and June, respectively.
Wärtsilä director for water & waste Arto Lehtinen said “We are excited to have yet another approval in place for both Aquarius systems. It represents peace of mind for ship owners and operators knowing that it has been tested and approved to the highest operational and environmental standards.”
The UV system is based on filter ultraviolet disinfection. It has already been awarded type-approval under the original guidelines by the IMO and by the United States Coastguard (USCG), as well as ex-certification by Dekra Exam GmbH and Lloyd’s Register design approval.
The EC system based on filter side-stream electrochlorination has also received IMO & USCG type-approval, ex-certification by Dekra Exam and Lloyd’s Register design approval.
As of 28 October 2020, all vessels installing a BWMS will need to comply with the international BWMS Code. The guidelines were originally formulated in 2005. In 2018, an amendment to the Ballast Water Management Convention was adopted, where installations of BWMS on or after 28 October 2020 must be type-approved based on the BWMS Code and not the earlier G8 guidelines (MEPC 174(58)). The guidelines were then revised to bring the G8 guidelines in line with the IMO D-2 performance standard.
Riviera’s coverage of the challenges shipowners face in the coming months as they prepare for the G8 deadline can be found here.
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