Norwegian ballast water treatment (BWT) specialist Optimarin has become the first system supplier to gain full US Coast Guard (USCG) type approval for its Optimarin Ballast System (OBS).
The development adds to IMO approval, and certification of OBS from several classification societies, including DNV GL, Lloyd’s, Bureau Veritas, MLIT Japan, and American Bureau of Shipping, according to the company.
“There are numerous units with USCG Alternate Management Systems (AMS) certification, but this is a temporary measure to allow trading in US waters. At some point, if they haven’t met full USCG approval standards, they will have to be changed. So, it really pays for shipowners to invest in fully compliant systems today for their entire fleets,” Tore Andersen, Optimarin’s CEO , said.
OBS utilises a combination of filtration and 35kW UV lamps to treat ballast water without the need for chemicals, Optimarin said.
Classification society DNV GL tested the system to USCG standards for fresh, brackish and marine water at the NIVA test facility in Norway.
The company has over 300 systems installed worldwide and have received almost 500 unit orders.
Of the OBS units installed, over 60 have been retrofitted, fitted in conjunction with global engineering partners Goltens and Zeppelin Power Systems.