Crowley Picks Korean Ballast Water Treatment Systems

Florida-headquartered Crowley Maritime Corporation and the South Korean-based Panasia Co Ltd have signed a strategic partnership agreement for ballast water treatment systems to be installed during retrofitting of Crowley vessels.

The agreement includes technical services, engineering, integration, commissioning, training, scheduled delivery and spare parts.

Panasia GloEn-Patrol treatment system utilizes a filter to remove 50 micron or larger size organisms and medium-pressure UV lamps to disinfect smaller organisms. The GloEn-Patrol models treat from 50 to 6,000 cubic meters of ballast water per hour. They have IMO-type approval and certification from a number of classification societies including American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and DNV GL, and U.S. Coast Guard Alternate Management Systems (USCG AMS) for non-hazardous areas such as engine rooms, and explosion proof models for installation in areas such as the main decks of articulated tug barges (ATBs) and tankers.

“We found Panasia ballast water treatment systems to be a good operational and functional fit for our vessels, backed with a level of commitment and service we require,” said Bill Metcalf, Crowley vice president of strategic engineering.

“Panasia and their management team is fully committed to our vessels’ safety and environmental performance of our ballast water systems, and we are pleased to have them as our partner.”

DNV GL is completing required tasks for Panasia to secure USCG type approval and providing their report by October 2016.

DHI Group has been chosen for shipboard tests and Golden Bear Facilities has begun the work on the land-based tests, all under DNV GL’s guidance, and supervision to comply with the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program.