Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2013)

26 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? MAY 2013 Followers of the Ballast Water Treatement System (BWTS) situation (ie. presumably anyone reading this publica-tion) were heartened last month when the U.S Coast Guard announced its acceptance of nine BWTS as Alter- nate Management Systems (AMS), helping to finally bring some clarity to ship owners, yards and suppliers.On April 15, 2013, the USCG an- nounced the acceptance of the ballast water treatment systems as AMS in compliance with the service?s March 2012 final rule for Standards for Liv-ing Organisms in Ships? Ballast Wa- ter Discharged (SLOSBWD) in U.S. waters. AMS acceptance by the Coast Guard is a temporary designation giv-en to a ballast water treatment system approved by a foreign administration. Vessel operators may use an AMS to manage their ballast water discharg- es in lieu of ballast water exchange, while the treatment system undergoes approval testing to Coast Guard stan-dards. An AMS may be used to meet the Coast Guard ballast water treatment requirements for up to five years af-ter the ship?s ballast water discharge standard compliance date specified in the final rule. This five-year time- frame allows for the completion of required land-based and shipboard testing. ?This is an important first step in making Coast Guard and for- eign approved ballast water treatment systems available for the global ship-ping industry,? said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Joseph A. Servidio, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy. ?The Coast Guard AMS program will allow ship owners and operators to in-stall a ballast water treatment system and use it in U.S. waters while it un-dergoes approval testing.? In the fol- lowing pages, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News presents informa-tion on the many of the systems cur- rently accepted as an AMS Alfa Laval: PureBallast PureBallast was among the first bal-last water treatment systems to re-ceive Ballast Water Type Approval. Operating under real-life conditions since 2003, PureBallast provides ballast water treatment that is 100% chemical-free. The process is based on a patented form of advanced oxi-dation technology (AOT), developed in cooperation with Wallenius Water. Treatment occurs in a closed chamber known as a Wallenius AOT unit, in which radicals are generated. These radicals are potent yet exist for only a few milliseconds, which means they neutralize microorganisms but are in- capable of leaving the treatment sys-tem. A 40 m mesh filter is used dur- ing ballasting operations. This blocks the intake of larger organisms, but also reduces the amount of sediment in the ballast water tanks. The num- ber of AOT units is determined by the system?s flow rate, with individual units handling a flow of 250 cu. m./hr. The performance of the AOT units is safeguarded by an automatic Clean-ing-in-Place (CIP) system, which cir- culates a biodegradable solution to prevent seawater scaling within the AOT units. This solution is reusable and is replaced once annually when its pH level becomes too high. The automatic cleaning cycle occurs af-ter each operation. The filter is also rinsed once ballasting is completed. A flow meter regulates the certified flow rate and records the volume of ballast that been treated. The water then continues through the AOT units, which treat the water to IMO estab-lished limits before it enters the bal-last water tanks. The de-ballasting process is the same as ballasting, but bypasses the filter system (which is cleaned via automatic back-flushing). Outgoing ballast water passes through the Wallenius AOT units to eliminate any re-growth of microorganisms that may have occurred.A single PureBallast system can handle flow rates of 250-3000 cu. m./hr. If more capacity is required, even higher flow rates can be achieved by installing multiple systems in parallel. Sold to all vessel types, container ves-sels, RO/RO and pure car/truck carri-ers account for about one-third of all units sold. For Alfa Laval, the 250 to 2,000 cu. m./hr. sector is strongest tar- get market. Alfa Laval has achieved IMO Basic and Final approvals as well as Type Approval from DNV. Ecochlor Inc.: Ecochlor Ecochlor, Inc. received U.S. Coast Guard Alternative Management Sys-tem (AMS) acceptance for its full line of ballast water management systems (BWMS). This will allow ship opera- tors to use an Ecochlor ballast water management system in U.S. waters to effectively manage their ballast dis- charges. ?We are pleased to be among the first group of companies to receive AMS acceptance,? said Charlie Mill-er, Chairman and CEO of Ecochlor. ?An AMS determination offers ship owners an additional level of security and assurance that the efficacy and performance of Ecochlor?s ballast wa- ter treatment systems will meet both present and future discharge standards throughout the world.?Ecochlor, Inc. received Product Design Assessment (PDA) Approval from ABS for its full range of bal- last water treatment systems (BWTS), systems that have the capacity to treat ballast water flow rates of up to 16,000 cu. m./hr. The Ecochlor BWTS uses a two-step process to treat ballast water ? filtration followed by disin-fection with the well-known biocide, chlorine dioxide. The system?s effec- tiveness is not impaired by variations in salinity, temperature, turbidity, or- ganics and vibration, which can im-pact other treatment options. Further- more, the small size, low power, and low maintenance characteristics of the Ecochlor system make it ideally TECHNICAL FEATURE BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Ballast Water Management U.S. Coast Guard Accepts Nine BWTS as AMS Alfa Laval: PureBallast MR #5 (26-33).indd 26MR #5 (26-33).indd 265/2/2013 9:24:09 AM5/2/2013 9:24:09 AM