Testing was performed in accordance with both IMO and US Coast Guard (USCG) requirements and paves the way for issue of both IMO and USCG type approval certificates later this year.
These included 15 land-based tests, five in each of the three salinities required - fresh water, brackish water, and marine water. Results of the testing confirmed that the system meets the stringent discharge requirements without any special operating mode to be employed in US territory and without any minimum holding time to be observed between ballast water uptake and discharge, the company claimed.
“We are especially pleased that no less than seven land-based tests performed in different salinities and at various levels of UV-transmission of the water have been successfully completed with the shortest holding time allowed for land-based testing. This means that there is no required minimum holding time for the CompactClean system.
“Requirement for minimum holding times for type approved BWMS is one of the main issues that ship operators are facing within ballast water treatment today, and we are happy to be able to provide a solution with our CompactClean system,” explained Rasmus Folsø, DESMI Ocean Guard CEO.
“It is a significant achievement that the CompactClean system does not need a special US operation mode to meet the USCG requirements in US territory. With just one operation mode used globally, there is no need for knowing the de-ballast location at the time of ballast uptake, in order to determine if the BWMS should be operated in IMO or US mode. Likewise, there are no issues related to mixing IMO and USCG treated ballast water when water is treated in one mode during ballast operation, but then pumped to a tank with remains of water treated in another mode.
“Mixing of ballast water treated in different modes is also a concern when water is moved internally from tank to tank during a voyage to compensate for consumed fuel. All these issues represent serious complications to the ship operator when using BWMS that must be switched to one operation mode in US and another in the rest of the world. With CompactClean we have managed to solve this,” he added.
CompactClean BWMS is currently undergoing type approval testing according to both IMO and USCG requirements, under the surveillance of Lloyd’s Register. All land-based tests have been completed and the final shipboard test and the environmental tests are planned to be completed by next month, paving the way for issue of IMO and USCG type approval certificates around June/July, 2018.