Ecochlor BWTS Ordered for 7 ISH Ships

International Shipholding Corporation (ISH) has agreed to purchase seven ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) from Ecochlor for installation on certain ISH vessels. These systems are expected to be delivered between 2014 and 2016 and will be installed on several classes of ships including vehicle carriers and bulk carriers.

Ecochlor’s President, Tom Perlich, said: “We are very pleased to be working with International Shipholding and their related subsidiaries. ISH management is clearly committed to protecting the coastal environment, and they are taking proactive steps to ensure the Company’s continuing compliance with Federal and international regulations. The effectiveness of the Ecochlor BWTS will ensure that ISH will be in compliance with all current and future performance standards.”

With new ballast water regulations taking effect in the United States and with the expected ratification of the International Maritime Organization’s Convention on Control and Management of Ballast Water and Sediments, ISH spent over 18 months reviewing and evaluating alternatives for treating ballast water on-board its vessels.

As a major owner of Jones Act vessels in the United States, ISH and its management sought a solution that would satisfy both current and future regulations in the United States and throughout the world. They also required a cost effective solution that would allow them to retrofit their vessels easily and quickly, often without a dry dock. Lastly, ISH required a ballast water treatment system that would be able to operate effectively and reliably in a wide range of water conditions. The Ecochlor system, they considered, met all these criteria.