Wärtsilä Says It’s Ready for the BWM Convention
The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) International Convention for the Control and Management of ships' ballast water and sediments (BWM Convention) has been ratified and will enter into force on September 8, 2017. The treaty will ultimately require vessels in excess of 400 GRT to have a type approved BWMS installed and operating in accordance with the convention guidelines, and which conforms to the Regulation D2 discharge performance standard.
Systems manufacturer Wärtsilä said it has proactively planned and developed its range of Ballast Water Management System (BWMS) solutions in anticipation of the ratification of the ballast water convention.
“Wärtsilä’s development work in this field has involved close cooperation with its customers to ensure the most practical and effective solutions are brought to the market. The company's BWMS solutions are fully supported by Wärtsilä's global service network,” said Joe Thomas, Director, Ballast Water Management Systems, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
The intention of the IMO legislation is to address the issue of invasive aquatic species being carried in the ballast water of ships and then discharged to the sea where they could possibly harm local species.
The Wärtsilä Aquarius range of Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS), are two-stage solutions that adopt a common approach to filtration, using automatic back washing screen type filters. A choice of treatment technology is provided through selection of either the Aquarius-UV or Aquarius-EC. Aquarius -UV provides disinfection using ultra-violet light (UV). Aquarius -EC provides disinfection using sodium hypochlorite generated through side stream electro-chlorination. Both BWMS are IMO Type Approved, are available for both safe and hazardous area installation, and have USCG AMS status. Full USCG Type Approval will follow in 2017 and together with the Wärtsilä global lifecycle support network, this offering makes Wärtsilä a partner of choice for all BWMS needs.