Ballast Water Treatment News

Vessel Ballast Water Management: Getting the Numbers Right

It was never going to be realistic to expect treated ballast water to have zero viable organisms on discharge.The G8 guidelines that define the type approval process for ballast water treatment systems were initially agreed at the IMO before any systems had actually been developed.The IMO had already been working on the issue of invasive species being transferred around the world in ballast water for a couple of decades. It was on the radar back in the 1970s. At MEPC 31 in 1991…

DESMI Launches Ballast Water Testing Services

DESMI announced it is now offering advanced ballast water testing, analysis and evaluation services to help shipowners verify the quality of onboard ballast water to comply with the Ballast Water Discharge Standard.The company said it signed a contract with Eurofins Maritime Services, a part of the international group of Eurofins-laboratories, known for its wide range of analytical testing services across various industries, including the marine sector. The contract was finalized on September 4 during the SMM maritime trade show in Hamburg…

US Probes Canadian Ballast Water Regulations After Shipping Companies Cry Foul

U.S. regulators are investigating potential unfair trade practices within pending Canadian regulations governing ballast water management systems of ships in the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes trade.The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) on Tuesday said it launched the probe to determine if the pending regulations have a disparate effect on U.S. flagged vessels and constitute a Foreign Shipping Practices violation under 46 U.S.C. Chapter 423.U.S.-based companies operating ships in the…

Bio-Sea Ballast Water Treatment for Siem Car Carrier Trio

BIO-UV Group has received an order from SIEM Ship Management to supply its BIO-SEA Ballast Water Treatment Systems for a trio of SIEM-managed car carriers. The order, for retrofit installation to the Siem Copernicus, Siem Curie and Siem Socrates, is the latest in a series of deliveries of BIO-SEA B-Series equipment for installation onboard around a dozen SIEM Ship Management reefer vessels since 2021.In this latest order, BIO-UV Group’s maritime division will provide B02 BIO-SEA BWTS units with a medium to high flow rate of 300-cu.m.

Optimarin Acquires Hyde Marine Business from De Nora

Optimarin AS, a Norwegian supplier of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS), announced it has agreed to acquire the Hyde Marine UV business from the Italian multinational Industrie De Nora S.p.A.

Techcross Opens Training Center in Greece

Techcross recently opened the doors for its new training center in Athens, Greece, its 7th training center opened globally in major shipping hubs that offers training on actual equipment.An opening ceremony for the Greece training center, designated as a hub for training in Europe region, was held recently at the newly relocated ARGO NAVIS building. The ceremony was attended by nine representatives, including Park Seog-won, CEO of Techcross, and Ioannis Alevropoulos and Maximous-Ioannis Katsidimas…

Aiming for Zero Waste Discharge to Sea

Advanced water treatment systems are just the start of the cruise industry’s circular waste processing ambitions.Advanced wastewater treatment systems (AWTS) were revolutionary in their day. Indeed, they still are today, but with 77% of the CLIA fleet (202 ships) already using them, and another 40 specified for vessels on order, even more ambitious waste management is coming.Martin Shutler, Principal Engineer, Product Development, at Wärtsilä Water and Waste, notes that in recent…

BIO-UV to Deliver Ballast Water Treatment System for Drillship Pair

BIO-UV Group said Thursday it had received a major order to supply its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment system to a pair of drillships scheduled to enter an undisclosed operator’s offshore drilling rig fleet.According to BIO-UV, a modular version from the BIO-SEA B-Series, combining mechanical  filtration and UV disinfection, has been ordered by a United Arab Emirates-based offshore drilling contractor, a returning customer for BIO-UV Group, and will be installed on the vessels…

US EPA Proposes Changes to Ballast Water Regs

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a supplemental proposed rule to reduce the spread of invasive species though ballast water that occurs with normal operation of large marine vessels.Following public input on EPA’s 2020 proposed rule—including meetings with states, tribes and other stakeholders—the agency is now issuing a Supplemental Notice to share new data and control options raised by stakeholders. This supplemental proposal will bolster the development…

BIO-UV Group Answers the Call for Compact BWTS with 'Smallest' UV BWTS Yet

UV-based water treatment specialist BIO-UV Group has introduced what it says is arguably the smallest UV BWTS in the marketplace, targeted at meeting increased demand for ballast water treatment systems from operators of workboats, yachts, research ships, OSVs, and similar-sized vessels. The new BIO-SEA L01-0030 Mini – more compact than the company’s existing low-flow BIO-SEA L range – is a fully automated filtration + UV-based system designed to treat ballast water flow rates…

Op/Ed: Technology Manufacturers’ Input More Critical than ever for Effective Maritime Regulations

Next year marks a crucial milestone for the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention, with all ships required to meet the D2 standard for ballast water management by 8 September 2024. D2 specifies the maximum number of viable organisms allowed to be discharged. In most cases, it requires the installation of a ballast water management system (BWMS) on board the vessel.2024 will be a pivotal moment for the ballast water market and while it is true that the retrofit market will diminish and leave behind only a small newbuild market…

Techcross Retrofits BWMS in Tanker's Engine Room

Ballast water management system company Techcross said it has installed a BWMS in the engine room of an existing tanker. This installation method, called the “Engine Room Solution”, was patented under the name of Techcross in Korea in 2016 and has been applied only to new ships so far. However, this is the first time it has been applied to an existing ship.One set of ECS 1000B model was installed on the 50,400 PC tanker owned by Horizon Tankers Limited S.A. (under Target Marine Group), based in Greece, using Techcross’ Engine Room Solution.

Techcross’ BWMS Get LR Cyber Security Certificate

Techcross’ ballast water management systems have received Lloyd's Register's Cyber Security Capability certification.The company said that the two models that received the certificate are ECS, direct electrolysis and HYCHLOR, indirect electrolysis.According to, LR Classification that Techcross is the first company to receive the Cyber Security Capability certification in the BWMS industry and Asia. With the recent development of smart ships, ship management has transitioned to being computer-driven…

Langh Tech BWMS Gets US Coast Guard Type Approval

Finnish marine technology manufacturer Langh Tech Oy Ab announced its LanghBW ballast water management system has received US Coast Guard type approval, making it the first UV-based system in the world to receive the SUCG stamp for one-way treatment.The LanghBW system, which is based on fine filtration combined with UV treatment with innovative reactor design allowing easy maintenance and installation flexibility, successfully completing IMO type approval earlier this year.“We are proud to announce being the first maker to have one-way treatment also approved by USCG…

BIO-UV to Supply BWTS for Luxury Ritz Carlton Cruisers

BIO-UV Group informs it has secured a contract to supply its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) for a pair of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled super cruisers French shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique is building for Marriott International's luxury hotel group Ritz Carlton.When delivered in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the 46,000gt Ilma and Luminara will join the smaller Astander Shipyard-built Evrima – the first ever Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection vessel – which set sail earlier this year.“We are immensely proud to supply BIO-SEA systems to these prestigious vessels…

BIO-SEA BWTS Ordered for Cruise Ship Quest

French UV-C water treatment specialist BIO-UV Group said it has received an order to supply a low-flow BIO-SEA L-Series ballast water treatment system (BWTS) for retrofit installation to the 1,268 GT expedition vessel Quest.The 49-meter-long, 60-passenger capacity vessel is the fifth passenger ship operating under Cruise Management International [CMI] to have specified a BWTS from BIO-SEA by BIO-UV Group partner TECO2030.Maxime Dedeurwaerder, business unit director, BIO-UV Group’s maritime division…

InTank Opens New Test Facility

InTank has opened its second test facility for factory testing. The testing simulates InVoyage BWT with InTank and InTank FITT. As of June 2022, both test sites have been updated with new robust PLC programming. Both test sites are equipped with audio-video capabilities, so that customers can witness the facilities in video streaming or video recordings. On request, both sites can host owner representative(s), IL, Class, or other witnesses for their InTank or InTank FITT FATs.

De Nora Signs Service Deal with N-KOM

De Nora Marine Technologies, LLC, said it has entered a formal service subcontracting agreement with Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM), one of the largest shipyard and offshore repair facilities in the Middle East, located at Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.The deal will expand service convenience for De Nora Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS) installed on vessels trading in the Gulf region.

Langh Tech BWMS Receives IMO Approval

Finnish marine technology manufacturer Langh Tech Oy Ab said it has received the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) type approval certificate for its LanghBW ballast water management system (BWMS) on May 12, 2022. The type approval project was carried out in cooperation with classification society DNV.The LanghBW BWMS uses fine filtration and UV-C treatment. According to the manufacturer, a unique feature is its ability to…

Optimarin Maintains BWTS Deliveries Amid Supply Chain Challenges

Norwegian ballast water treatment systems manufacturer Optimarin said it has so far been able to overcome global supply chain challenges by leveraging a flexible delivery model for key components for its systems.While the world continues to deal with supply chain issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the company has implemented a dual-supplier strategy that has enabled it to maintain efficient system deliveries even though supply capacity has been strained as demand has rebounded…

BIO-UV Adds FGS as Italian Representative

Ballast water treatment system manufacturer BIO-UV Group announced it has tapped La Spezia-based Fluid Global Solutions (FGS) for the sale and delivery of its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment systems to Italian operators, builders and repairers of all ship types, including offshore and naval vessels.FGS, provider of pumps and spares to the Italian maritime sector, will reinforce existing partners in Italy, namely, Tefin, which focuses on the region’s yacht sector, with its sales agent Gianfranco Catanese.With its partnerships…

Filtersafe Develops New UV BWMS Filter

Filtersafe announced the launch of its new ‘MANTA’ filter series, specifically engineered for UV based ballast water management systems (BWMS).The high-performance filter is able to remove 99.6% of organisms over 50 μm to ensure that ship owners and operators will be compliant with the International Maritime Organization’s D-2 standard for the implementation of the ballast water management convention, which must be adhered to by 08 September 2024, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard’s…

BWMS Webinar May 17: Inside the InTank Solution

In a webinar on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, Giles Candy will present the advantages for ship owners and shipbuilders with the Scienco InTank Ballast Water Treatment System.The Scienco InTank BWTS treats and neutralizes ballast water in the ballast tanks during the voyage, which allows for normal ballasting and de-ballasting operations in port. It is the only Type Approved “in voyage” ballast water treatment system.A small percentage of ballast water is circulated from one ballast tank at a time. The active substance, Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl), is added to the circulation and returned to the tank.