Bawat Gains USCG’s AMS Acceptance

The ballast water management system developed by Danish company Bawat A/S has been granted U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Alternate Management System (AMS) acceptance for an interim period of up to five years, enabling commercial vessels equipped with the system to be approved to discharge treated ballast water in U.S. coastal waters.

“We are very excited about the acceptance letter from Washington, D.C.,” said Kim Diederichsen, CEO of Bawat A/S, “This will allow for us to broaden the scope as we roll out our very innovative and competitive ballast water management system in the international marketplace.”

Diederichsen expects to obtain a full type approval by the U.S. Coast Guard regarding U.S. waters well ahead of the expiration of the interim period.

The Bawat system has already fulfilled ballast water management system requirements set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), having completed all relevant tests as verified by the classification society DNV-GL and certified by the Danish Maritime Authority and the Danish Nature Agency.

Bawat said its technology is made available while the world’s commercial fleet is faced with a mandatory implementation of ballast water treatment: the IMO convention is expected to enter into force in the near future, and U.S. regulation is already in force covering discharges from ships when in U.S. waters.

Bawat’s in-tank, in-voyage ballast water management system offers treatment that can be carried out while at sea, saving time and money as compared to current in-line systems which require treatment to take place while in port. The Bawat system is based on a patented in-tank recirculation solution that utilizes onboard waste energy. Additionally, no filters, UV radiation or chemicals are involved in the Bawat process.