Shipboard testing of De Nora BALPURE was conducted on a US-flagged Aframax operating in the US west coast in the regulated waters of California and Alaska.
The tanker was in normal trading and has been ballasting and deballasting with its BALPURE system regularly.
The end of shipboard testing represents the conclusion of De Nora’s USCG testing, having already completed the land-based testing, engineering design and environmental testing elements of the submission.
Results, documentation and final drawings are now with the Independent Laboratory for verification and submission to the USCG.
Don Stephen, managing director, BALPURE at De Nora Water Technologies, commented: “De Nora has over 90 years’ expertise in electrolytic disinfection and BALPURE has been previously identified by the US EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) as one of three systems that demonstrated the ability to meet a standard 10 times more stringent than the IMO D-2 standard, so we’ve been confident throughout the testing process. However, it is still very satisfying to be finally ready to submit our USCG Type Approval application.
“The BWTS market has faced a challenging few months since MEPC 71, but this type approval submission demonstrates our long-term commitment to the maritime industry and to the dozens of ships already actively ballasting and deballasting with De Nora BALPURE technology.
“We look forward to the addition of BALPURE to that still-short list of USCG Type Approved BWTS and enabling compliance across the industry, as we work together towards the entry into force of the Ballast Water Management Convention,” he said.
Already certified under the USCG Alternative Management System (AMS), De Nora claimed to be the originator and patent holder of electrochlorination disinfection of ballast water through the slipstream method.
An article written by Don Stephens will appear in Tanker Operator’s November/December issue.