GEA Westfalia Separator BallastMaster ultraV Gets AMS Certificate

The BallastMaster ultraV developed by GEA Westfalia Separator Group for treating ballast water has been awarded the “Alternate Management System” (AMS) certificate.

The approval was awarded by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on November 11, 2013 and is considered to be the standard for the international recognition and selection of suppliers of ballast water processing installations.

The AMS certificate is considered by the USCG to be a transitional measure until the type approval process has been formally implemented in American legislation. The cooperation of GEA Westfalia Separator Group with the USCG for gaining type approval for the BallastMaster ultraV system guarantees the important market access in the long term.

Independently of existing IMO regulations, the USA implemented its own regulations for the treatment of ballast water via the “Vessel General Permit” (VGP) of the USCG in 2012. The regulations of the USCG are applicable for all new vessels whose keels were laid down after 1 December 2013.

Existing vessels with keels laid down before 1 December 2013 and with a ballast water capacity of 1,500 to 5,000 m³ must comply with the US regulations after their first scheduled docking from 1 January 2014. For existing vessels with a ballast water capacity of less than 1,500 m³ and more than 5,000 m³, this is applicable after the first docking after 1 January 2016.

Pre-cleaning by mechanical filtration

The ballast water management system BallastMaster ultraV is an extremely efficient mechanical and physical system solution for treating ballast water, including ballast water with high concentrations of organisms and sediment particles. The two-stage system works with mechanical pre-filtration and subsequent disinfection of the ballast water by means of UVC radiation without using and/or generating chemicals.

In the first stage, an upstream mechanical filtration system removes all organisms and sedimentary particles larger than 20 microns. This reliably prevents sedimentary deposits from accumulating in the ballast water tanks, as well as guaranteeing in the second stage an optimum result for ballast water disinfecting. The filter modules are cleaned automatically by vacuum extraction (self-cleaning).

Disinfecting by means of UV-C radiation

In the second stage, the pre-filtered ballast water is disinfected by UV-C radiation. The monochromatic UV-C radiation (254 nm) effectively destroys organisms such as bacteria or phytoplankton. A microcavitation technology effected by ultrasonic ensures that the biofilms and inorganic deposits on the cladding of the UV-C tubes are cleaned off extremely efficiently and permanently.

Reliable disinfection according to IMO and USCG standards

The combination of short-wave UV-C radiation and ultrasound cleaning of the radiation units ensures effective disinfection of constant quality in line with the regulations, and thus ensures that all port controls are passed without any problems. Following successful type approval in accordance with IMO in the year 2011, the BallastMaster ultraV with the AMS certificate is now also approved without any restriction for the waters of the USA.

[mappress]
Press Release, November 18, 2013