First Chinese Orders Received For Unitor Ballast Water Treatment Systems

(Oslo, Norway 31. March 2011) Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has received orders for five Unitor Ballast Water Treatment Systems (Unitor BWTS) from Chinese yards. Three systems are to be installed on general purpose cargo vessels built at Baibuting Shipbuilding Co. Shandong. The remaining two systems are to be installed on asphalt carriers built at Nanjing East Start Shipbuilding Co. 
 
The cargo vessels being built at Baibuting Shipbuilding Co. Shandong are for Shipowner Bluarrow Shipping SA with technical consultant La Prora Ship Management. The vessels require ballast water systems with a capacity of 350m3/h each. The vessel deliveries are due in Q2 and Q4 in 2011. The asphalt carriers built at Nanjing East Start Shipbuilding Co are for the Singapore based ship owner Stolt Bitumen Services, a new division of the Stolt Nielsen Group. Each system has a capacity of 200m3/h and the vessels will be delivered in Q4 2011 and Q1 2012.

With an increasing number of Type Approved ballast water treatment systems in the market, the competition for securing new contracts is tough. “We have developed a system that benefits both the installers and operators”, says Petter Traaholt, President in Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions. “A small footprint and flexible installation options are valued by the yards. Feedback from owners suggest that treatment on ballasting only, low power consumption and easy operation are seen as key factors when selecting a ballast water treatment system”, he continues.
 
Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions is part of a global network with the capability to serve customers in 2200 ports and 125 countries, providing worldwide support and peace of mind. “This is the first ballast water treatment system we have ordered. With little service experience with any system, we wanted to choose a supplier that has excellent worldwide support and the backup of a large organisation”, says a representative at Stolt Bitumen Services.

The Unitor BWTS is applicable to all vessel types and sizes. To date, Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions has won contracts to install the system on a range of vessel types including PCTC, LNG carrier, passenger ferry, bulker, general cargo carrier, and asphalt carrier.

The Unitor BWTS technology is provided by the South African company Resource Ballast Technology (RBT). The system is produced, marketed and sold globally by Wilhelmsen Technical Solutions. With the support of the global network, Unitor BWTS is a safe choice for the lifetime of the system.