Damen Green Solutions, part of Damen Shipyards Group, has completed shipboard testing of its InvaSave ballast water treatment technology.
During the shipboard tests, conducted on-board Henrike Schepers, the untreated ballast water was taken in and the effectiveness of the technology was validated upon discharge.
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The tests have proven that the technology is worthy of providing International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved backup service in a port in case of a failure in a vessel’s on-board treatment systems to uptake or discharge ballast water.
Additionally, the tests conducted by Marine Eco Analytics (MEA-nl) have met the D2-Standard of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention.
Currently pending a patent, the InvaSave technology expects to receive IMO type approval this year.
The Netherlands’ Groningen Seaports is the first port to offer this ballast water treatment service.
Damen Green Solutions product manager Matthijs Schuiten said: “More and more countries are ratifying the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) and it could enter into force in 2017; in any case, it is only a matter of time.
“Damen is cooperating with the service providers in the ports to provide this ballast water treatment service.
“This is also relevant for all port authorities, who could face congestion problems if they don’t have a contingency / emergency service in place.”
The InvaSave technology has also the ability to serve as a port-based alternative for those ship owners who might not want to retrofit an on board treatment system.
It can further be used in a port in case of a sudden outburst of marine pests.
Groningen Seaports sustainability coordinator Bart van der Kolk said: “Our location on the Wadden Sea means that we have a responsibility to push forward the progress of sustainable shipping,”
“We are fully prepared for the ratification of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention.”
The InvaSave technology, which features new filtering and UV technology, can be provided in a self-sufficient mobile container, which can be kept onboard a service barge or moved around the port on a trailer or a pontoon.
Image: InvaSave ballast water treatment system. Photo: courtesy of Damen Shipyards Group.
