Features: Features: - Tanker Operator

TECHNOLOGY - BALLAST WATER
OceanSaver’s type approval process.
should be possible, sources said.
However, owners were being
advised by the manufacturers to
move fast, as a retrofit will be
much more costly than an original
installation, which will be part of
the newbuilding process.
Greenship's Johann van der
Geest said; "Owners who are
sailing green want a system as
soon as possible. Some (have)
reserved space and wait".
He explained that the company's
first step into ballast water
management system was the
sediment separator Sedimentor.
Van der Geest explained that some
owners with vessels having
sediment problems started with the
first step and installed the second -
Termanox- later on.
As for approvals, thus far for
biological performance (G8), the
land based tests are finalised and
were approved by Lloyd's
Register in October 2007.
Shipboard tests have also been
finalised and the LR certificate
was scheduled to be delivered by
the end of February.
For the Active Substance
Approval, both the basic and final
approvals are scheduled for
November this year, while the
OceanSaver’s approval timetable.
Type Approval is due after IMO's
Final Approval in December.
The system is commercially
available and orders have been
won for the sediment removal
systems, but not for the Ballast
Water Management systems,
although Greenship expected the
first orders soon.
Van der Geest explained that
Greenship's Ballast Water
Management System combines two
technologies in a joint operation
well within the specifications as
laid down by the IMO.
The first stage is the 'Sedimentor',
which takes care of the sediment in
the ballast water and the second is
the elimination of nearly all the
organisms that remain.
For vessels sailing in a
sediment heavy environment, this
solution helps to avoid the buildup
of tonnes of sediment in the
ballast tanks giving a real payback
time as vessels will be able
to carry more cargo and/or have
substantial fuel reduction.
The first stage of the system
reduces the oxygen level by about
30% and without sediment there's
less wear and tear in ballast
pipelines and ballast tanks.
Sedimentor is the first stage of
the Sedinox® treatment system,
but can be installed separately
from the second stage and is
easily upgradeable to a complete
Ballast Water Management
System when IMO guidelines
become mandatory.
Greenship has already put
together a team of highly qualified
companies in the North of the
Netherlands for large scale production,
van der Geest claimed. TO
March 2008 TANKEROperator 33