Wartsila adds contracts for Aquarius UV ballast water management system

94f74285e15e2b8b 800x800ar

(HELSINKI, Finland) — The technology group Wartsila has recently been awarded a number of contracts to supply its Aquarius UV ballast water management system (BWMS) to global shipping operators. The systems will enable the vessels to be compliant with the Ballast Water Management Convention regulations that entered into force in September 2017 for all new build vessels. The contracts cover 13 systems, the orders for which were all booked in quarter four 2018.

The work is being carried out for ships being built at yards in China. The orders cover installations in a ro-ro ferry, two ro-pax, six tankers and four container vessels. In addition to the demand for newbuild vessel installations, ship owners are also increasingly requesting quotations for their existing sailing fleet. For a vessel to be compliant with the IMO's Ballast Water Management Convention, owners have to install a BWMS at the next special survey of the vessel after Sept. 8, 2019. This essentially gives a five year window for retrofits between September 2019 and September 2024, depending on when the special survey is due.

The Wartsila Aquarius UV (ultraviolet) BWMS has successfully completed all the required testing procedures and has been submitted for U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) type approval. This follows the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) type approval for the Aquarius UV system, which was granted in 2012. The USCG approval process is extensive and involves both land and sea testing. The company’s alternative BWMS technology, the Wartsila Aquarius EC (electrochlorination), was granted USCG type approval in August 2018, and IMO type approval in 2013.

The Ballast Water Management Convention aims at preventing the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another, and at halting damage to the marine environment from ballast water discharge.

By Professional Mariner Staff