Floatel International Selects Wärtsilä BWMS

A new semi-submersible accommodation and construction vessel (floatel) being built for Floatel International AB will feature two Wärtsilä AQUARIUS UV ballast water management systems (BWMS) and other Wärtsilä equipment.

The complete Wärtsilä scope of supply includes, in addition to the two AQUARIUS BWMS units, a series of Wärtsilä engine room pumps, and a pre-engineered integrated auxiliary equipment module.

“We have enjoyed a long and successful co-operation with Floatel International. All four of the rigs previously ordered by the company have been fitted with Wärtsilä’s equipment, although this is the first to specify a ballast water management system. This success emphasises our ability to meet the specific requirements of the vessels’ operational profiles,” said Dr. Joe Thomas, Director, Ballast Water Management Systems, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

The AQUARIUS UV BWMS is a modular system utilising a two stage approach involving filtration and medium pressure UV disinfection technology. The Wärtsilä AQUARIUS UV Ballast Water Management System meets the International Maritime Organization’s IMO D2 discharge standard, and received type approval in December 2012.

Ratification of the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention, which will require the owners of up to 40,000 vessels worldwide to install a BWMS, is widely anticipated within the next 12 months.

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has however implemented its own legislation, which states that all ships will have to be in compliance with the regulations when sailing in US coastal waters.

Enforcement of the US requirement commenced in December 2013, when ships must comply with the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) regulating discharges from ships.

The intention of the legislation is to address the issue of invasive aquatic species being carried in the ballast water of ships and then discharged to the sea where they can harm local species.

At any one time ballast water can naturally contain an estimated 7000 different species of organisms comprising of plankton, bacteria and viruses.

It is estimated that approximately 7 billion tons of ballast water is transferred globally each year.

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June 13, 2014