Mobile System Developed for Ballast Water Compliance

The mobile systems can be used at ports

A new mobile ballast water treatment (BWT) system will offer an alternative for shipowners who don't want to install retrofit fixed BWT units to comply with U.S. and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations, according to developer Damen Shipyards Group.

The company says the containerized mobile Damnen InvaSave BWT unit can also be used by ports in ship deballasting operations, and a customized barge with one of the systems is now being built for service in Emshaven and Delfzijl, Netherlands.

"We have been looking into what we can do to help our customers regarding ballast water treatment and finding alternatives for those owners that may not want to retrofit a ballast water treatment system, perhaps because their ships operate on fixed routes or their ships are too old and make the investment in a system prohibitively expensive," said Gert Jan Oude Egberink, manager of Ballast Water Treatment for Damen.

"Ports may also need to provide back-up, in case a ship's onboard treatment systems fail."

Unlike fixed BWT systems that must treat ballast water at intake and again at discharge, Damen says the new systems only require treatment at the point to discharge.

"This is all in-house technology and is very simple to use – essentially it is a plug & play system in one container," Egberink said.

"Vessels only need to have a deck connection.

"Using this mobile treatment unit, owners and operators will be fully compliant with both the IMO and US regulations."

The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) said in March that it had developed a mobile BWT system for use at ports.