Pioneering system for ballast water treatment ready to enter market
09 October 2014
The pioneering system for ballast water treatment on commercial vessels, developed by the Danish company Bawat A/S, has successfully completed all IMO required tests, as verified by the classification society DNV-GL.
Press release:
October 9, 2014
The pioneering system for ballast water treatment on commercial vessels, developed by the Danish company Bawat A/S, has successfully completed all IMO required tests, as verified by the classification society DNV-GL. The market release of the innovative and extremely competitive technology is imminent as the system is undergoing the final certification by the Danish Maritime Authority.
“We are brimming with expectations. We are looking forward to meeting our potential customers in the marketplace,” states Kim Diederichsen, CEO of Bawat A/S. Bawat’s ballast water treatment is revolutionary in that it can be carried out while at sea. This is saving time and money as compared to current, so-called in-line systems where treatment has to take place while in port. Add to this, that no filters, UV radiation or chemicals are involved in the process. The maintenance is minuscule. The system’s technology is based on stripping the water of oxygen, and most importantly pasteurization. The excess heat from the ship is in full, or partly, utilized for the treatment - a positive for cost of operations and the global climate.
“Our system is competitive on all parameters. Operating the system is simple and therefore easy for the crew to handle onboard the vessels while there is hardly any maintenance,” says Kim Diederichsen, the CEO. The introduction of Bawat’s ballast water treatment system is very timely, indeed. The new technology is made available when the commercial fleet all over the world is faced with a mandatory implementation of a ballast water treatment system. The negative impact of invasive marine species being transplanted from one marine environment to the next, upsetting the ecosystem in process, has led to the drawing up of a convention within the framework the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that will mandate ballast water treatment.
The regulation is expected to enter into force in the near future. At the same time, the US Coast Guard has introduced similar requirements concerning ballast water treatment for vessels entering US ports. The Bawat technology is incorporating known maritime components. Thus, there is no risk of bottlenecks in production and delivery. The system is aimed at tankers and bulk carriers, comprising more than a third of the total fleet worldwide. It can easy be scaled up. And there is an added benefit: The system protects against corrosion in the tanks holding ballast water, thereby extending the lifetime of the ship.