Tests completed on ballast water backup solution in ports

During the tests, ballast water was taken in untreated and the efficacy of the technology was validated upon discharge. The Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group says the tests have shown that InvaSave can provide an IMO type-approved backup in port in the event a vessel’s onboard treatment systems fail to take up or discharge ballast water. It can even serve as a port-based alternative for shipowners who may not want to retrofit an onboard treatment system or be deployed in a port with a sudden outbreak of marine pests.
“More and more countries are ratifying the IMO’s Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC), and it could enter into force in 2017; in any case, it’s only a matter of time," noted Matthijs Schuiten, product manager for Damen Green Solutions. "Damen is cooperating with the service providers in the ports to provide this ballast water treatment service. This is also relevant for all port authorities, who could face congestion problems if they don’t have a contingency/emergency service in place.”
Groningen Seaports, the port authority for the Dutch ports of Delfzijl, Eemshaven and the adjoining industrial sites, is the first to provide this ballast water treatment service.
“Our location on the Wadden Sea means that we have a responsibility to push forward the progress of sustainable shipping,” commented Groningen Seaports’ sustainability coordinator, Bart van der Kolk, referring to the intertidal zone in the south-eastern part of the North Sea that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The results of the InvaSave test meet the D2-Standard of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention on all aspects, Damen says. This includes the test series conducted with the high-sediment waters of the Hull and Thames rivers in England. An overall and important principle is that the system is robust and works under all relevant circumstances, regardless of the composition of the ballast water. Test protocols are in line with IMO BWMC test guidelines and additional requirements of the Dutch flag state. All testing was conducted by MEA-nl, an independent research and test facility in the Netherlands that tests ballast water management systems and hull fouling control options.

Damen says it can deliver the InvaSave technology in a self-sufficient mobile container, which can be put on board a service barge or moved around a port on a trailer or pontoon. The system uses innovative filtering and UV technology and doesn't contain chemicals or hazardous substances. IMO type approval is expected to be obtained this year and a patent is pending, the company adds.