TECHCROSS to Develop Next-Generation BWMS

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Korean leading BWMS manufacturer TECHCROSS signed an agreement for technical development of next-generation ballast water management system on April 30.

When the IMO’s International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, adopted in 2004, will take effective predicted to be in the end of 2014, around 68,000 vessels under operation will be mandatorily equipped with BWMS, which will sharply boost its demand.

The US, in which about 65% of global seagoing vessels call at its ports, demand advanced BWMS technology, which intensifies agreed international standards over 1,000 times, with an aim to protect marine environment. Also, the country plans to control incoming vessels.

Therefore, the Korean ministry decided to develop the next-generating BWMS with an investment up to KRW 12bn ($11m) from this year to 2018, in order to prepare rapidly for increasingly demanding of technical standards.

And the government revealed that it named TECHCROSS as a partner developer after an open competitive competition. The competition was started January, 2013 with 5 Korean BWMS manufacturers. They have applied for “Developing the BWMS and validating the verification system for USCG phase II” which was given by ministry of oceans and fisheries. The purpose of this agreement is that developing BWMS to meet the USCG phase II.

As TECHCROSS has been funded KRW 12bn to satisfy their BWMS to meet USCG phase II, TECHCROSS is in charge of R7D with KIOST. TECHCROSS is targeting to make BWMS as a global leader of the market and developing the BWMS and validating the verification system for USCG phase II.

[mappress]

Press Release, May 3, 2013