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WATER TREATMENT
ACO MARINE RETROFITS HOLDING TANKS FOR WATER TREATMENT
ACO Marine has been awarded contracts to
supply its advanced wastewater treatment
technology as retrofit solutions to river
cruise vessels operating on European
waterways.
The 232-passenger capacity
sisters Ukraina and Moldavia, undergoing
refit work at the Ukrainian Danube
Shipping Company’s fleet maintenance
base in Izmail, Ukraine, will each be
retrofitted with a Maripur NF 250 unit.
In a separate agreement, a Maripur
NF 150 unit will also be supplied to Linz
Shipyard for retrofit to the 150-passenger
capacity river cruise vessel Carissima.
Due to space limitations aboard all these vessels,
ACO Marine will use the ships’ existing holding tanks as a
bioreactor in the first stage of the treatment process. The tanks will be aerated, and additional pumps installed
to direct the partially treated effluent to the membrane stage of the treatment process, in the Maripur NF units.
By using the vessels existing tanks, ACO Marine says it can reduce system footprint considerably, while
making for a more cost-effective wastewater treatment installation for the operator.
ACO Marine Managing Director Mark Beavis, said: “Usually the main biochemical purification process occurs
in the 1st stage activation chamber of the Maripur NF unit, but by converting the vessels’ existing tanks –
provided they are of sufficient size – we can create an environment in which bacteria can thrive.”
“Biological cleaning is based on the action of aerobic bacteria which needs a good distribution of oxygen, so
we need to install blowers and additional pumps, but it is a much simpler process than trying to fit a square peg
in a round hole. Space is always an issue on river cruise vessels.”
Beavis, a marine engineer, said that using a vessel’s existing tanks as a first stage bioreactor can allow for
greater colonies of bacteria to more effectively “eat away at the waste”.
“This is a much more cost-effective approach to wastewater treatment where space is a limitation, and we
can easily adapt the concept to meet the requirements of larger ocean-going cruiseships,” he said. “Use of
existing tanks in this way, can reduce system footprint by more than two-thirds, depending on the dimensions
of tank, and reduce capital expenditure. However, additional tank venting would be required for safety
reasons.”
The European riverboat sector is relatively new market for ACO Marine, with the Maripur NF Mark IV
system passing EC Rhine Rules certification tests in 2012.
Directive 2006/87/EC regulates the discharge of wastewater in the Mosel, Rhine and Danube rivers and
requires more extensive equipment tests than those required for commercial ocean-going vessels.
Stringent certification testing can take up to 40 days as equipment has to be trialled at different hydraulic
loads, typically 50%, 100% and 200%.
ACO Marine is now actively marketing its wastewater treatment technology in the river cruise segment with
several contracts nearing the final stage of negotiations.
MAINTENANCE
WÄRTSILÄ TO OPTIMISE LNG CARRIERS
Wärtsilä has advanced its co-operation with Athens-based ship
management company TMS Cardiff Gas with the signing of a
maintenance agreement relating to four TFDE LNG Carriers.
Eniram’s data collection platform and advanced data analytics
will be used to ensure the vessels achieve optimal operation
and reduce fuel costs and emissions.
Working in concert with Eniram’s Vessel digital
performance management system will be Wärtsilä’s Dynamic
Maintenance planning tool which, together, provides TMS
Cardiff Gas with a comprehensive view of each vessel’s
performance, efficiency, and improvement possibilities.
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